Margaret Court thinks that Serena Williams doesn't reciprocate her admiration because she doesn't get as much credit for her 24 Grand Slam singles titles.
Williams, who holds 23 Slam titles, one shy of the record Court set from 1960 to 1973, was feted in many quarters as the greatest tennis player of all time in the wake of what is expected to be her final appearance at the US Open. Williams, who will turn 41 this month, was eliminated from the US Open in the third round in a match in which she staved off five match points.
In an interview with Britain's Daily Telegraph, Court said he admired Serena as a player. I don't believe she has ever looked at me in the same way.
When same-sex marriage was proposed in Australia, she became a persona non grata because of her Christian beliefs.
She said that a lot of the media don't want to mention her name. I didn't get the honor for what I did. They wouldn't mention me even though I have been given titles in my own nation.
She played mostly in the amateur era, so she wasn't compared to Williams because of that.
Court said thatSerena had played seven years more than him. In my 30's, I finished. I took a couple of years out. I retired when I was 25 years old.
One of my best years was when I won 24 out of 25 tournaments.
She had a better record than Williams after they became mothers.
She returned after two babies. I won three out of the four Slams after having my first child. She said that Serena hasn't won a slam since having a baby.
She won the Australian Open while eight weeks pregnant and without dropping a set.
The 11 Australian Open singles titles that Court won had less value than the seven that Williams won.
People didn't come down to Australia in Court's early years. The world's top ranked woman came down. Christine Truman and Ann Haydon were also present. Australia had a lot of great players. Five girls were in the top ten. Bowrey won the French Open twice.
In her day, Court thought the life of a tennis player was more difficult than it is today.
I would have loved to play in this era. She said it's so easy. I would have loved to have taken my family with me. I was unable to. I was either with the national team or alone. People don't see what's going on.
We didn't have anyone with us who could help us. It's a completely different place. Today's players don't honor the past of the game, that's disappointing.
She said she was disappointed that Williams didn't mention her opponent after the US Open.
Williams did not mention her opponent more when she spoke. We were told to respect our opponent. We respected everyone else.
The AP contributed to the report.
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