Williams asks for R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Six-times Wimbledon champion Serena Williams has said women athletes deserve equal pay following her semi-final shellacking of Elena Vesninar.
PT1M1S 620 349Serena Williams is one of the greatest athletes of all time. Seems like a pretty obvious statement, no? Well, not everyone would agree on the wording, it seems, especially given that her gender, in the minds of many, puts her in a separate category to athletes who get to be called "the greatest".
After progressing to the Wimbledon grand final on Thursday, Williams wasn't accepting any backhanders about her athletic merit from the media.
One reporter, who happened to be a male, questioned Williams on whether she thought she deserved equal pay. Well, duh?
Serena Williams of the U.S celebrates a point against Elena Vesnina of Russia during their women's singles match on day eleven of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Thursday, July 7, 2016. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) Photo: Kirsty Wigglesworth
"Yeah, I think we deserve equal prize money. Yeah, absolutely," she said. "I mean, if you happen to write a short article, you think you don't deserve equal pay as your beautiful colleague behind you?"
Backhander returned expertly.
Another reporter then attempted to give Williams a weirdly cautious compliment, asking: "There will be talk about you going down as one of the greatest female athletes of all time. What do you think when you hear someone talk like that?"
Williams responded, "I prefer the words 'one of the greatest athletes of all time'."
Game, set, match.
