Instigating Rivalry Off-Court, Serena Williams Threw Serious Shade at Maria Sharapova Over Her 15-Month Doping Ban in 2016 – ‘What Is the Purpose of Life?’

Queen of the Court Serena Williams is a fan favorite for not just her epic prowess on the court but also for her unapologetic personality and opinions. Her interviews have by far resonated deeply with her fans and after her retirement in 2022, they have been pining away for a comeback from the 41-year-old WTA legend.

However, revisiting her interviews back in time we can always find traces of her sassy personality at every curve of her journey to greatness. Looking back at a candid discussion from 2020 that involves two other American WTA icons, Serena made some really cheeky comments which may be an indirect dig at her rival- Maria Sharapova.

With Chanda Rubin and Zina Garrison on “Game.Set.Chat!”, Serena delves into various experiences of her life and how they shaped her legendary career. All three athletic legends have quite a discussion on the varied forms of inequalities they faced in their journey and this is when Serena talks about the doping test controversies surrounding her. In doing so she does hint a really shady comment at Maria Sharapova who failed a doping test and was banned for fifteen months following the results.

Serena Williams thinks the ban is not really long enough

During the discussion with these two WTA legends, Serena briefed about the challenges in her career while reminiscing the times she watched her forebearers take on the court. Speaking of how she takes her life off the court as seriously if not more than her life on the court, Serena talks about doping and says, “I don’t really care about my results on the court. For me it’s more other stuff, what is the purpose of life and what is that?”

She then adds, “So that’s why a lot of this stuff really genuinely doesn’t affect me. And then turns out that people are actually doing drugs. The truth comes out, and they get caught and then they get banned for not long enough.” 

Read more: ‘They Make News Every Time’ – When Martina Navratilova Pointed Out the Lack of Star Appeal in WTA Tour Without Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova

Sharapova was banned in 2016 following a failed drug test that indicated traces of meldonium in her blood. Sharapova went out and admitted that she had been using it for a long time but the then-new WADA regulations were relentless. She was banned for two years after which she appealed for consideration and the term was reduced to 15 months.

However, this is not Serena’s only statement regarding Sharapova. After the ban, Serena voiced out her support to Maria and in fact appreciated her courage in confessing and accepting the failed drug test. Williams praised Sharapova at the time for taking responsibility for her actions and it was one of the few moments where fans saw a different side to the Williams-Sharapova relationship.

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