"There was basic racism in tennis" - Stubbs on difficult journey of Williams sisters

| by Kadir Macar

Serena Williams and Venus Williams changed tennis in many ways and during a recent episode of the Off The Ball podcast, Rennae Stubbs shared her view of how much more difficult it was for them to break through.

Venus Williams is a 7-time singles Grand Slam champion, Serena Williams is a 23-time singles Grand Slam champion and together, they lifted 14 doubles Grand Slam titles. Therefore, without a doubt, Williams sisters are the most accomplished sisters in the history of tennis. But it wasn't easy for them when they started.

"What they went through early on in their careers was pretty traumatic in some ways," Rennae Stubbs said. "You know, they weren't accepted by the tennis establishment, there was a lot of pushback on them."

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Rennae Stubbs was a person that accompanied Serena Williams during her 2022 US Open farewell as a coach and she certainly knows her well. When speaking about shat difficulties Williams sisters faced, Stubbs spoke mainly about racism, when she stated:

"There was basic racism in tennis. What they fought through probably made them great champions because they had to fight for everything. They had to fight for acceptance and they had to fight for respect."

"They probably felt like they had to win so much just to be respected and accepted. And they were. In the end, you know, they have gotten the love that they deserve because they're both quality people," added Stubbs.

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