Serena Williams comes under fire from tennis legend Margaret Court, who said Williams has never admired her
- Margaret Court, the most decorated tennis player ever, hit out at Serena Williams in a rare interview.
- "Serena, I've admired her as a player," Court said. "But I don't think she has ever admired me."
Serena Williams has come under fire from the tennis legend Margaret Court, who in a rare interview accused Williams of lacking admiration for her.
Court, 80, holds the all-time record for Grand Slam singles titles with 24 – one more than Williams, who on Saturday played what she said will be the last match of her career.
Last month, Williams was asked about the potential of matching Court's Grand Slam record before retiring. Williams replied: "I've already broken the record," seeming not to acknowledge Court's larger number of titles.
Court won 13 of her 24 titles before the Open era began in 1968.
"Serena, I've admired her as a player," Court told The Daily Telegraph. "But I don't think she has ever admired me."
"I would love to have played in this era. I think it's so much easier," she added. "How I would love to have taken family or friends along with me. But I couldn't. I had to go on my own or with the national team. People don't see all that.
"We didn't have psychologists or coaches with us. It's a whole different world. That's what disappoints me, that players today don't honour the past of the game."
The Australian also hit out at Williams for not congratulating her opponent, Ajla Tomljanovic, after her final match.
Williams had said after losing to Tomljanovic in the US Open fourth round: "I tried, but Ajla just played a little bit better."
"I thought it was bad that Williams didn't mention her opponent more when she spoke," Court said. "We were taught to be role models for the young, in how we behaved.
"We were taught to honour our opponent. You learned from your losses. We respected one another."
On top of criticizing Williams, Court also opened up on being ostracized by the wider tennis community.
Court is a pastor in Australia and has previously spoken out against same-sex marriage and called transgender children the work of "the devil."
Her comments have seen her come under fire from many within the sport, including Tennis Australia, while there has also been widespread calls from tennis fans for Melbourne Park's Margaret Court Arena to be renamed.
"It's very sad, because a lot of the press and television today, particularly in tennis, don't want to mention my name," she said.
"It's only when they have to, because I still hold so many records."
"I think people worry that I'm going to preach the gospel or something," she added. "But I love just helping young people.
"I've helped people overcome depression, helped repair broken lives. There are many people in sport who need help. But in sport, it's as if they're fearful of somebody being a Christian. How sad."