"We shouldn’t have to drop to our knees at any point'" - When Serena Williams rejected claim that WTA players should be grateful for Federer & Nadal
Serena Williams once emphatically dismissed the notion that women's players should feel indebted to Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for their contributions to the sport.
Williams took on Victoria Azarenka in a blockbuster clash in the Indian Wells final in 2016. However, their match was overshadowed by the controversial remarks made by the chief executive of Indian Wells, Raymond Moore.
Ahead of the final, Moore stated that the WTA was "riding on the coattails" of the male players. He also asserted that if he were a female player, he would kneel down and regularly thank God for Federer and Nadal for elevating the sport.
"If I was a lady player, I’d go down every night on my knees and thank God that Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal were born, because they have carried this sport. They really have," he said.
Moore's remarks sparked considerable backlash in the tennis community, drawing criticism from Serena Williams as well. Following her straight sets defeat to Azarenka in the final, the American strongly rejected the idea that women should have to express gratitude to anybody on their knees.
"Obviously I don’t think any woman should be down on their knees thanking anybody like that. I don’t think that is a very accurate statement," Serena Williams said.
She denounced Moore's statement as "inaccurate," pointing out that there were exciting players on both the men's and women's tours.
"I think there is a lot of women out there who are very exciting to watch. I think there are a lot of men out there who are very exciting to watch. I think it definitely goes both ways. I think those remarks are very much mistaken and very, very, very inaccurate," she said.
Serena Williams also brought up the fact that the tickets for the 2015 US Open women's final sold out well before the men's final. She highlighted that, despite Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal not featuring in the women's final, it proved to be a more popular draw for fans.
The American also asserted that, contrary to Moore's "offensive" statement, women should not be expected to kneel in gratitude.
"Last year the women’s final at the US Open sold out well before the men. I’m sorry, did Roger play in that final or Rafa or any man play in a final that was sold out before the men’s final? I think not," Serena Williams said.
"There’s only one way to interpret that. Get on your knees, which is offensive enough, and thank a man, which is not – we, as women, have come a long way. We shouldn’t have to drop to our knees at any point," she added.
Looking back at Serena Williams, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal' campaigns at US Open 2015
Serena Williams entered the 2015 US Open as the top seed and three-time defending champion. The American produced a dominant run at her home Slam, advancing to the semifinals by beating the likes of Madison Keys and Venus Williams. However, she failed to reach the final as Roberta Vinci defeated her 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the semifinals.
Meanwhile, second seed Roger Federer claimed wins over John Isner, Richard Gasquet, and Stan Wawrinka en route to the final. However, Novak Djokovic beat Federer 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 in the summit clash to clinch his second US Open title.
No. 8 seed Rafael Nadal, on the other hand, suffered an early exit at the New York Major, experiencing a shock defeat to Fabio Fognini in five sets in the third round.