"If Serena Williams was a guy they'd love it, but get intimidated by women" - When Martina Navratilova hailed American for being 'proud' of her body

Martina Navratilova has always championed strong women in sports, a character trait she found in copious amounts in Serena Williams. Navratilova once hailed the American icon for taking pride in her body, opining that Williams would have been loved by the masses for her attitude had she been a man.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion has been very vocal about her body positivity ever since she became a force to be reckoned with on the tennis tour. Repeatedly, Williams has endorsed that people have to accept the presence of different kinds of body tests, especially when it comes to Black women.

"For every negative comment, there’s a million good comments. I always say, "Not everyone’s going to like the way I look." Everyone has different types. If we all liked the same thing, it would make the world a really boring place! What matters most is that I like myself," Williams once said.

With many such instances over the years, Navratilova had become mighty impressed with the former World No. 1. Speaking to the Guardian in a 2010 interview, she lavished praise on her compatriot, even sympathizing with her for the way crowds often failed to give her the love she deserved.

"If Serena Williams was a guy they'd love it, but they get intimidated by women being that strong. I empathise with that because I definitely went through it. It's tough because you feel like you're fighting [against the crowd] – it's hard enough fighting the opponent. And you do feel it, you know, not getting that love. It's not fair," Navratilova said.

Navratilova, it turns out, saw herself in Serena Williams' game, especially the physical dominance that made opponents weep. And in the same way that Navratilova did not apologize for her body, Williams did not either, endearing herself to the 18-time Grand Slam champion.

"Serena is so physically dominating, people are feeling sorry for her opponents – they were feeling sorry for mine. I was very strong, I was very muscular and I played a very aggressive game. But it's because she is so strong that she wins and she's proud of her body. She doesn't apologise for it and I like that. She's like, 'hey I'm a strong woman and get out of my way'" Navratilova said.

"Serena Williams gets very emotional" - Martina Navratilova

Celebrities Attend The 2024 US Open Tennis Championships - Day 7 - Source: Getty

In addition to her game and body positivity ideas, Martina Navratilova also felt that she and Serena Williams were similar in how they emotionally behaved on the court. At the same time, Navratilova felt Williams was much different from her off the court, seeing as she was not very open about her personal life like herself.

"She gets very emotional, fired up and competitive. She's very intimidating. That's the biggest similarity between the two of us. Off the court, I don't know … she doesn't really open up much to the world," Martina Navratilova said in the aforementioned interview.

Serena Williams finally hung up her racket in 2022, winning 23 Grand Slam singles titles -- five more than what Navratilova managed in her career.