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Equality is my cause: Serena puts legend King in her place

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AFP London
Last Updated : Jul 13 2019 | 10:55 PM IST

Serena Williams delivered a stinging rebuke to fellow tennis legend Billie Jean King who said she should focus on tennis and stop behaving like a celebrity and fighting for equality.

King -- who was no stranger to fighting for equality for women players when she was starting out -- may feel justified after Williams was played off the court in the Wimbledon final on Saturday.

She was beaten 6-2, 6-2 in less than an hour by Simona Halep, who had lost on nine of the 10 previous occasions she had played the American.

King had said that running a business, looking after a child and battling for equality for women and ethnic minorities, could largely all be dealt with by her staff while she focussed on tennis for a couple of years.

The 75-year-old told the BBC earlier in the tournament that Williams should give up being a celebrity for a year: "Just stop all this insanity."
"I feel like I'm just really on this journey of just doing the best that I can, playing the best that I can when I can."
- 'Wake up!' -
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Her leaden-footed and lethargic performance -- she only really got fired up in the first game of the second set yelling at the ground when she won a point -- provoked one spectator to cry out: "Wake up Serena!"
"Actually sometimes the comments help me, whether they're good or bad. It didn't bother me at all."
"The only thing I can say is today I think my opponent played unbelievable."
"I feel like I'm still incredibly competitive or else I wouldn't really be out here,"

Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content

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First Published: Jul 13 2019 | 10:55 PM IST

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