Whenever a Black woman is celebrated, it doesn’t take much time for white women to quickly chime in and somehow make it all about them. This constantly happens to Serena Williams, better known as the greatest tennis player in the history of the sport.
We recently saw a startling example of it earlier this year with Jane Campion’s Critics’ Choice Award speech. Now that the world is celebrating the legacy of Williams after she announced her retirement, Australian tennis player Margaret Court, 80, decided to air her one-sided grievances.
She told Britain’s Daily Telegraph: “Serena, I’ve admired her as a player. But I don’t think she has ever admired me.” Although Williams played seven years longer than Court, the latter insists that she had more success than Williams but is lauded less.
“I came back after two babies,” Court continued. “After having the first baby, I won three out of the four Slams. … Serena hasn’t won a Slam since [having a baby].” Court has won more Grand Slam titles than Williams, 24 compared to 23, but they were mostly won in the amateur era.
She also insists that playing tennis today is easier than playing it in the 1960s and 1970s. “I would love to have played in this era. I think it’s so much easier,” Court said. “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 didn’t see all that.”
In the past, Court publicly opposed same-sex marriage due to her religious beliefs in Australia. Her beef is really with the press because of their lack of coverage due to this revelation.
“A lot of the press and television today, particularly in tennis, don’t want to mention my name,” she said. “The honor has not been there for what I did do. In my own nation, I have been given titles, but they would still rather not mention me.”
It sounds like Court has issues to deal with that don’t involve Williams at all—so it’s best she stop using her name for clout.