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Tennis fans were left infuriated by the placement of Venus Williams and Serena Williams, and that of women's players in general, on a new promotional poster released by Wimbledon ahead of the 136th edition of the Grand Slam.
With the grasscourt Major just around the corner, Wimbledon revealed a poster heralding the arrival of a new generation of rivalries at SW19. The promo displayed Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner at the forefront as the awaited rivalry in men's tennis.
Meanwhile, Iga Swiatek and defending champion Elena Rybakina, representing the new generation in women's tennis, were positioned at the very back.
Venus and Serena, along with Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova, were the only other female rivalries to be featured. However, neither was given a place of prominence on the poster.
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Several fans took issue with seven-time champion Serena and five-time champion Venus being placed at the back of the poster.
"They put Serena & Venus in the back like we back in the Civil Rights era. Just when I though I've seen it all," a fan commented.
"Putting the Williams sisters in the back is awful. Especially with the titles they racked up in singles and doubles," another fan chimed in.
Other fans pointed out the stark difference in the placement of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz as opposed to Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina.
"Is this supposed to be Lena and Iga? Where is Aryna next to them? Iga-Aryna-Lena rivalry more exciting now than Sinner-Alcaraz yet they are put in the back of the paint, into dark, without Aryna," a fan tweeted.
"Sinner + Alcaraz equals 1 GS. Rybakina + Swiatek equals 5 GS. I'm not even mentioning Venus and Serena bc what it is wtf," another user posted.
Here are a few more fan reactions to the controversial Wimbledon poster:
Venus and Serena Williams won 12 Wimbledon singles titles between them
Serena Williams and Venus Williams have both enjoyed great success at Wimbledon.
Venus was the first to claim a title at the grasscourt Major between them. She won her maiden title in 2000 after defeating defending champion Lindsay Davenport in the final.
The 43-year-old defeated Justine Henin in the final to successfully defend her title in 2001. She won three more titles at the grasscourt Major, winning in 2005, 2007, and 2008.
Meanwhile, Serena bagged her first title at SW19 in 2002 after defeating her sister, the two-time defending champion in the final. She repeated the feat in a rematch of the final in 2003.
The American won her next title at the grasscourt Major in 2009 after beating Venus, the two-time defending champion once more and successfully defended her title in 2010. The former World No. 1 won three more Wimbledon titles, in 2012, 2015, and 2016.
Venus and Serena also established themselves as a formidable doubles pairing at SW19, winning six titles (2000, 2002, 2008, 2009, 2012, and 2016).
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