"You should apologize" - When Serena Williams rebuked journalist who claimed her game had been scrappy 

Serena Williams has been known to be candid and not hold back when she feels one is called for. At a post-match press conference during the 2017 Australian Open, Williams demanded an apology from a journalist who had opined that her game had been "scrappy" and error-prone.

"Oh, I think that's a very negative thing to say. Are you serious? Well, you should have been out there. That wasn't very kind, you should apologize. Do you wanna apologize?" asked an annoyed Williams.

The reporter backed up his question by stating that what was asked was based on his observations but subsequently proceeded to apologize.

The American tennis star then went on to elaborate on why she thought her performance was "great," asserting that she played well.

"It was a great performance. I played well. She is a former top-10 player. The last time we played, it was in the finals of a Grand Slam. You know, it's not an easy match and she is a really good player so you have to go for more which obviously makes a few more errors. Yeah, so I think overall it was a really good match," she explained.

The opponent the American was referring to was Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic, who she beat to win her third French Open title in 2015. Safarova played the 23-time Grand Slam champion 12 times in total but never did manage to notch up a win.

The second-round clash at the 2017 Australian Open was the last time the two players met before Safarova retired after the French Open in 2019. Serena Williams went on to win the Australian Open title in 2017.

The fact that she was pregnant while playing at Melbourne Park came to light only in April of that year when she announced that she was taking a break from the game while expecting her first child.

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2017 Australian Open goes down as Serena Williams' final Grand Slam triumph

Serena Williams with the 2017 Australian Open trophy.

Serena Williams broke many records over the course of her career and created quite a few that may not be equaled anytime soon.

Margaret Court's record of 24 Grand Slam titles appeared to be within reach following her 2017 Australian Open win, but quite inexplicably, the tennis great failed to win another Major despite reaching the finals four times.

Williams went down to Angelique Kerber in the final of the 2018 Wimbledon Championships and failed to get past young Naomi Osaka in the US Open finals later that year.

Simona Halep sailed past the seven-time champion in the 2019 Wimbledon finals, while Bianca Andreescu thrilled Canadian fans by beating Williams in the 2019 US Open final.

The 41-year-old finally announced this year that she would "evolve away" from the game. She ended her career with 23 Grand Slam titles, with the 2017 Australian Open being her last Major triumph.