From an early age, Venus and Serena Williams had to face a lot of adversity to succeed as tennis players. Their family, especially their father, Richard Williams, helped them a lot to overcome every difficult situation with confidence.

Despite their rise in tennis, they had to face constant criticism from across the tennis ecosphere. Particularly when the head of the Russian Tennis Federation, Shamil Tarpischev made some distasteful comments about the Williams Sisters, which garnered a lot of negative reactions towards him. Russia’s very own Maria Sharapova also condemned him for his comments.

Serena Williams slammed the Russian Tennis Federation President for making a distasteful joke

In 2014, Shamil Tarpischev appeared on a Russian talk show, where he referred to Venus and Serena Williams as ‘Williams Brothers’. Then, he further said, “It’s scary when you really look at them.”

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After these comments, the WTA banned Tarpischev for one year. Moreover, they fined him $25,000 as well. Later, Serena Williams also responded to the comments and praised WTA for their action.

“The WTA did a great job of taking (the) initiative and taking immediate action to his comments… They were very insensitive and extremely sexist as well as racist at the same time. I thought they were in a way bullying.” 

Maria Sharapova supported Serena’s comments as she also bashed Shamil Tarpischev

Later, Tarpischev’s compatriot and 5-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova also commented on the same matter. Echoing Serena’s comments, Sharapova called the comments ‘disrespectful’. Moreover, she also lauded the WTA for taking appropriate action against the matter.

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“It was very inappropriate, especially in his position and all the responsibilities that he has not just in sport, but being part of the Olympic committee,” commented the Russian star.

It is worth noting that Sharapova has been Serena’s one of the biggest rivals for more than a decade. Also, she beat the American in the Wimbledon final in 2004 to capture her first Grand Slam title at 17. However, Serena had a better head-to-head record (20-2) against Maria.

Despite their rivalry, Sharapova showed massive support for Serena. Coming to Serena Williams, she will soon retire from tennis, predominantly after the US Open this year and will be leaving a legacy that will remain unmatched for decades to come.