‘Afraid to Show Any Kind of Humility’ – A Young Venus and Serena Williams Once Received Huge Flak for Their Attitude From Martina Navratilova

The American tennis stars, Venus and Serena Williams are the two of the most decorated players in the history of the sport. They overcame many challenges and barriers to fight racism and discrimination throughout their glorious tennis journey. Venus and Serena have always been lauded by tennis fans for their achievements.

However, Williams sisters’ compatriot and former Czech-American tennis player, Martina Navratilova had a different opinion of them.  Navratilova once criticized the Williams sister for not showing humility and respect to their opponents on the tennis court.

Martina Navratilova once talked about Venus and Serena Williams’ attitude to other players

The 18-time grand slam title winner, Martina Navratilova once complained about the Williams sisters’ attitude towards their opponents. She stated, “They have made excuses and not given any credit to their opponents. They’re afraid to show any kind of humility.” 

Navratilova also said, “I think they’ve been treated with kid gloves.”  She stated that people are afraid to criticize Venus and Serena Williams as they don’t want to be labeled racist.

The former tennis player, Navratilova also criticized Venus and Serena Williams’ father Richard Williams, for his behavior towards his daughter’s opponent. She said, “If Mr. Williams had been white and done that victory dance in front of Lindsay Davenport, he would have been reprimanded much more.”

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The Williams sisters faced many tough opponents during their initial tennis journey. With their ferocious way of playing, Venus and Serena used to dominate their rivals on the tennis court. However, their compatriot, Navratilova wanted the Williams sisters to bone up on their behavior during the tournaments.

Navratilova lauded Serena’s legacy

Despite some criticism of the Williams sisters during their initial tennis journey, Navratilova has now developed a good relationship with Serena Williams. The 18-time Grand Slam champion, Navratilova recently praised the American tennis icon, Serena for her strong physique. Navratilova further stated that the 23-time Grand Slam title winner has trained hard to tone up her body.

She further talked about Serena’s legacy and how she managed to maintain her fitness levels throughout her two-decade tennis journey. Navratilova also stated that Serena has performed brilliantly on the hard surfaces on the tennis court.

Serena recently played her farewell tournament in New York after announcing that she will be moving away from the tennis court. She performed brilliantly at the US Open as she knocked out the former world No. 2, Anett Kontaveit. However, Williams was defeated in the third round of the tournament as she was knocked out by the Australian tennis player, Ajla Tomljanović.

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