Days After Sparking Controversy, Soccer Player Michail Antonio Proudly Defends His Serena Williams Move – ‘Could Have Chosen Several..’

Published 03/11/2023, 10:44 AM EST

Soccer club West Ham United’s star player Michail Antonio grabbed a lot of attention with his International Women’s Day tribute. After he chose to wear the tennis legend Serena Williams’ name on his jersey, soccer fans literally mocked the footballer for his choice. However, finally, the 32-year-old has finally decided to share his take on what made him choose the tennis star.

The footballer’s tribute raised a lot of questions from the fans. In such a way that even fans started questioning him about his true inspiration in life. This all started, when West Ham United FC came up with the idea of honoring the women in their lives on Women’s Day.

Michail Antonio defends his Serena Williams’ move

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Recently, the footballer released a statement on West Ham United’s official website. And he shared his reasons for why he chose the name of the American tennis star over his mother’s name on his training kit jersey.

He said, “It was great to show our support for International Women’s Day. I could have chosen several inspirational women. But in the end, I picked Serena Williams as the name on my shirt for training.”

Further, he also listed that the 41-year-old tennis legend is the greatest tennis player of her generation. And praised her mental fortitude to believe in herself at all times.

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Additionally, he addressed the American tennis player as a “talented individual.” However, in that same conversation, he also recalled the time when he first watched the former tennis star play against her own sister, Venus Williams.

What inspired Antonio to include Serena Williams?

Antonio recounted the time he watched Wimbledon a few years ago. He was able to witness the Williams sisters’ clash. He also highlighted that witnessing the way the former American tennis player ruled over the tennis court with her charm was itself inspiring.

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Along with that, he also stated that Williams is a great role model for a lot of athletes out there who are trying to make a name for themselves in their respective sports.

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Written by:

Pratishtha Prakash is a Tennis writer at EssentiallySports. She has completed her Bachelor’s degree in Mass Media and Journalism from MIT ADT University, Pune. In the past, she has interned at the sports desk of The Hitavada, a regional English daily newspaper.

Edited by:

Arijit Saha

Days After Sparking Controversy, Soccer Player Michail Antonio Proudly Defends His Serena Williams Move – ‘Could Have Chosen Several..’

Michail Antonio defends his Serena Williams’ move

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What inspired Antonio to include Serena Williams?