American tennis star Serena Williams and WNBA star Brittney Griner have enjoyed immense success in their respective sports. However, due to their exceptional physical prowess, they had to suffer accusations of not being feminine enough on numerous occasions.
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Interestingly, both of them had the perfect response to those criticisms. It is also worth noting that Serena and Griner were not the only ones who suffered this sort of criticism. Prominent athletes like Sam Stosur, Martina Navratilova, and others also faced the same accusations.
When Serena Williams and Brittney Griner responded to unfair criticism
Back in the past, one of the tallest WNBA players, Brittney Griner, shocked the world by dunking in a game. Notably, dunking is not a common phenomenon in the women’s game. So, Griner had to suffer criticism from fans for not being feminine. Responding to the criticism, she said, “Hey, that’s my body, and I look the way I look.“
The same thing happened to Serena as well when the President of the Russian Tennis Federation, Shamil Tarpischev, referred to Venus and Serena Williams as ‘The Williams Brothers’. Later, he received a fine and was suspended from the WTA, as Serena also slammed Tarpischev for his comments.
Apart from that, Serena also received plenty of similar accusations. Speaking about that, she said, “It was hard for me. People would say I was born a guy, all because of my arms, or because I’m strong.”
Serena’s remarkable career is finally coming to an end at US Open 2022
Earlier this month, Serena Williams wrote an emotional essay in Vogue Magazine announcing her retirement from professional tennis. In a recent podcast interview, Serena revealed that she took the decision along with her good friend, Meghan Markle.
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Notably, the ticket sales for this year’s US Open have skyrocketed since Serena’s announcement, particularly for the first three days. Many fans are expecting Serena to do well in the first round and reach further in the tournament.
Reuters
Veteran U.S. tennis player Serena Williams returns a ball during her match against Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic during the National Bank Open in Toronto, Ontario, Canada August 10, 2022. REUTERS/Cole Burston
However, this will depend on the draw, as a favorable draw will help Serena massively to go further in the tournament. Notably, the draw will take place on 25th August and the tournament will start on 29th August.
How far can Serena go in the US Open 2022? Let us know in the comments.
Written by
Edited by
Tony Thomas