While international media still seem stuck on calling Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova "rivals" despite the stats and fans evidently disagreeing, an Inside Tennis interview rubbed Serena's fans the wrong way.
The magazine’s publisher and editor, Bill Simons, interviewed Serena over the weekend and in what many has called a "cringe worthy" interview, Bill asked Serena a question that had fans shook.
According to Today, after calling Serena "baby", Bill asked the champion if she was intimidated by Maria Sharapova's "supermodel good looks".
"I have been waiting about 14 years to ask you this question.
"After the 2004 Wimbledon match with Maria, I had the opportunity to interview Donald Trump on his LA golf course, and he said that Maria’s shoulders were incredibly alluring and then he came up with his incredible analysis: that you were intimidated by her supermodel good looks. My question is: Have you ever been intimidated by anyone on a tennis court, and what are you thoughts about that occurrence?"
*Take a moment to re-ignite your outrage, we understand*
However, Serena wouldn't be dragged down to that level so she gave a brief and precise answer.
"I honestly don’t have any thoughts about that. I can’t say I have been intimidated by anyone. That’s all. That’s it."
The manner in which he asked the question has been dubbed chauvinistic by many and the question itself sexist.
See the transcript below:
Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package. 