CNN
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Serena Williams has highlighted the perceived double standards surrounding men’s world No. 1 Jannik Sinner’s doping ban, saying in a new interview with Time magazine that she would have been suspended for 20 years for a similar offense.

Sinner is currently serving a three-month ban having twice tested positive for banned substance Clostebol, an anabolic steroid, in March last year.

The three-time grand slam champion previously escaped a ban when the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) ruled that he wasn’t at fault for the positive tests, accepting that the contamination was caused by a physio applying an over-the-counter spray to their own skin – not Sinner’s – to treat a small wound.

However, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) subsequently lodged an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), leading to Sinner accepting a suspension from February 9 to May 4.

Williams, a 23-time grand slam singles champion who stepped away from tennis in 2022, described the Italian as a “fantastic personality” and “great for the sport,” while also acknowledging her surprise at how his case was handled.

“If I did that, I would have gotten (a ban of) 20 years,” she told Time in an interview published on Wednesday. “Let’s be honest. I would have gotten grand slams taken away from me.”

She added: “I’ve been put down so much, I don’t want to bring anyone down … Men’s tennis needs him.”

Sinner, who won the Australian Open at the start of the year, is due to return to the court ahead of next month’s Italian Open in Rome.

Williams is not alone in criticizing the length of Sinner’s ban. Men’s 24-time grand slam singles champion Novak Djokovic said that the whole case was “not a good image for our sport” and suggested that many players believe there “is favoritism happening.”

Meanwhile, British player Liam Broady told BBC Sport that it felt like the suspension was intended to “impact Jannik’s career as little as possible.”

An ITIA spokesperson previously told CNN Sports that it approaches each case in the same way, “irrespective of a player’s ranking or status.”

It added: “We understand that anti-doping is a complex and sometimes confusing topic, and commit significant time and resources into providing education and support to players to help them understand the rules and how they apply to them.”

In a February statement, Sinner said that he has “always accepted that I am responsible for my team and realize WADA’s strict rules are an important protection for the sport I love.”

Williams also said that the case made her think of her former rival Maria Sharapova, who was handed a 15-month suspension after testing positive for heart disease drug meldonium in 2016.

Initially banned for two years, Sharapova argued on appeal that it had been an administrative error and that the punishment was “unfairly harsh.” CAS concluded that it would be wrong to call the five-time grand slam winner an “intentional doper.”

“Just weirdly and oddly, I can’t help but think about Maria all this time,” Williams said. “I can’t help but feel for her.”

Since playing her last game of competitive tennis at the 2022 US Open, Williams has expanded her investment portfolio, and last month announced that she was joining the ownership group for the WNBA’s Toronto Tempo, an expansion franchise that will start playing in 2026.

On top of her involvement in the Tempo, the 43-year-old is also a minority owner of the National Women’s Soccer League’s Angel City FC and Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s TGL, while also owning a part of the Miami Dolphins alongside sister Venus.

Speaking with Time about potentially returning to tennis, Williams said that she “just can’t peel herself away” from her two children, Olympia and Adira.

“Another reason I had to transition (away from tennis) was because I wanted to have more kids,” she said. “And I look at Adira and I’m like, ‘Was it worth it?’ I literally thought about it the other day. I was like, ‘Yeah, it was definitely worth it.’”

She added, however, that she misses tennis “a lot” and still feels healthy after not overplaying during her career.

CNN
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Former MLS and Gabon forward Aaron Boupendza has died aged 28 following a fall from the 11th floor of a building in China, local authorities confirmed.

The striker, who played for FC Cincinnati and Romanian club Rapid București, joined Chinese Super League side Zhejiang FC earlier this year.

The Hangzhou Public Security Bureau confirmed that officials responded to the player’s rental residence after receiving reports from the public of someone falling from a building at 1:14 p.m. local time on Wednesday.

“Our bureau quickly organized police forces to deal with the situation, and immediately sent the injured to the hospital for treatment. The injured was later declared dead in the hospital,” the bureau said in a statement posted on its official Weibo page, confirming Boupendza’s identity.

“After on-site investigation, visits and interviews of relevant parties by public security officers, and checking surveillance videos, it was found that he died after falling from the balcony of his rental residence, and a criminal case was ruled out,” the authorities confirmed.

Zhejiang FC said in a statement that it was “fully cooperating with the relevant departments to carry out the investigation.”

“All the staff of the club express their deepest condolences to his family,” the club added.

FEGAFOOT paid homage to the striker in a statement posted on X on Wednesday: “Aged 28, Boupendza will be remembered as a great striker, who left a lasting impression at the AFCON in Cameroon.

“FEGAFOOT and the entire Gabonese soccer community offer their sincere condolences to his family in this difficult time,” the statement concluded.

Interim Gabon president Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema said on X: “It is with great sadness that I learned of the tragic passing of Aaron Boupendza, a talented center forward who brought honor to Gabonese football. I offer my sincere condolences to his family and loved ones. May God bless his soul.”

CNN
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Chinese grandmaster Ju Wenjun secured her fifth consecutive Women’s World Chess Championship on Wednesday, defeating compatriot Tan Zhongyi in this year’s final.

Her win in Chongqing, China, means Ju has become just the fourth woman in history – and the first Chinese player ever – to win the world championship five times, joining an exclusive club consisting of Vera Menchik, Nona Gaprindashvili and Maia Chiburdanidze.

World No. 2 Ju won this year’s final 6.5-2.5, putting together a four-game winning streak to take a firm grip of the trophy after initially falling behind. She then held on to a draw in the deciding game to secure the best-of-12 match.

“In this match, initially the beginning wasn’t very smooth for me, but … I caught up on the score, I was playing more and more in the zone,” Ju said, per Chess.com.

Ju, 34, has held the world title since beating Tan in 2018. She went on to defend her title later that year before winning the following finals in 2020 and 2023 – the world championship is not held every year. She will now extend her reign into an eighth year.

While the result of this year’s final looks emphatic on paper, world No. 3 Tan pushed her opponent throughout but was ultimately not strong enough to overthrow who many now consider to be the queen of chess.

“I think, in this championship match, I exposed some of my weaknesses, and afterward in my training, I will continue to try to fix them if I want to continue in this professional chess player journey,” Tan said after the final, per Chess.com.

This year’s final was the latest high-stakes match between the two Chinese players. Tan initially beat Ju in the quarterfinals on her way to winning the world title in 2017. Ju then beat her opponent in the 2018 final before doing so again on Wednesday.

Ju will take home 300,000 euros ($341,000) for the win, while Tan will get 200,000 euros ($227,000) for finishing second.