Serena Williams put to bed a nagging question in fans’ minds. How would a man and a woman fare against each other in a singles tennis match? Over the years, several ‘Battle of the Sexes’ matches have taken place. Twice, men have won their matches, but in the other instance, Billie Jean King managed to defeat Bobby Riggs in three sets.
Serena had her take on the topic when an interviewer brought up the prospect of her facing Andy Murray in a singles match. Her response to the battle of the two sexes remains controversial.
Serena Williams dismissed the prospect of facing men in tennis
Serena Williams is a legend in women’s tennis. The American had won a record 23 grand slams before she retired and challenged the notion of women being subpar to men in sport by serving aces with speeds up to 206.4 km/h.
However, the 42-year-old once dismissed the idea of a showdown with Andy Murray. Speaking on a late show with David Letterman, the elegantly dressed Serena brought up Murray’s request to play a singles match together.
She immediately refused to partake in the event, stating that men’s and women’s tennis were different games and that men were faster, could serve better, and could move quicker around the court as compared to women. She proceeded to apologize to Billie Jean King for her statements but stood her ground on not losing badly to Murray in the proposed match.
Serena Williams’ statement remains controversial as the talk of equality in sport for both sexes gains ground. For viewers to tune in equally to both sexes’ matches, they have to look beyond the physicality and appreciate the uniqueness of both genders at play, and that would bring in impartiality.
Serena Williams and Andy Murray remain friends on the tennis circuit and have even participated in a mixed doubles grand slam together, where they managed to fare well.
Williams teamed up with Murray in 2019 Wimbledon
As Serena Williams neared her 40s, she teamed up with the younger Andy Murray at the 2019 Wimbledon in mixed doubles.
They were a high-profile pairing, and they lived up to their hype with a convincing first-round win against Alexa Guarachi and Andreas Mies. The unseeded pair again stunned their 14th-seeded opponents in the second round before losing a close three-set third-round match 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 against number one seeds Nicole Melichar-Martinez/ Bruno Soares.
“We played well together. It’s our first time. We are celebrating this moment. Andy gets asked all the questions on his body. I love that he gets all the attention,” Serena Williams joked at the post-match press conference.
Serena Williams had a memorable 2019 Wimbledon, where she reached the women’s singles final, where she lost to Simona Halep. The season and the subsequent years saw Serena Williams succeed in winning tournaments in her final attempt to extend her legacy before she hung her boots in 2022.
What are your opinions on Serena’s comments on the men’s and women’s tennis games? Let us know in the comments section below.
