"They like to put us on Court 2, me and Venus Williams" - When Serena Williams bluntly alleged prejudice against her & sister from tennis world

Tennis was widely regarded as a predominantly white sport until Venus Williams and Serena Williams emerged as dominant forces. The Williams sisters not only shattered records, but also disrupted the sport’s long-standing norms. Serena called this out regularly but most notably did so at Wimbledon in 2011.

One such moment when the Williams sisters believed they faced discrimination occurred at Wimbledon, a tournament which Venus won five times and Serena won seven times in their careers.

Despite being multiple-time champions already in 2011, the sisters were assigned to Court 2 for some of their matches—a decision that raised eyebrows. After defeating Simona Halep in their second-round match, Serena didn't shy away from calling it out.

When asked about playing on Court 2 instead of the prestigious Centre Court or Court 1, she responded bluntly:

"They like to put us on Court 2 -- me and Venus -- for whatever reason," Serena said. "I haven't figured it out yet. Maybe one day we'll figure it out."

She was then informed that the Big 3 of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic, along with Andy Murray, and Andy Roddick were scheduled to play on Centre Court or Court 1.

"Yeah," Serena responded. "They're never moved across."

The accusations were far-reaching as high-profile personalities took note and responded to it. Tournament spokesman Johnny Perkins noted:

"I don't think it's anything deliberate, clearly... It's [Scheduling is] a hugely complex jigsaw puzzle. Everyone probably looks at it from their own point of view, so she's obviously quite entitled to."

After witnessing his daughter’s win on Court 2, however, Richard Williams downplayed concerns about court placement, stating he had no say in scheduling.

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When Serena Williams and Venus Williams were booed by the Indian Wells crowd in 2001

Serena Williams and Venus Williams at Wimbledon 2010 - Source: Getty

A 19-year-old Serena Williams won the Indian Wells title in 2001 but was jeered by the crowd throughout the match and even during her presentation. This happened amid rumors of match-fixing by her father Richard for matches between the sisters.

In the semifinal of the event, Venus Williams withdrew minutes before she faced Serena. Fans were unhappy with this, leading to audible displeasure during Serena's match. When Venus entered the court with her father to watch Serena, the crowd booed even louder.

During the post-final press conference, she was asked if race played a role in this situation. Serena said that the USA still had a problem with racism.

"Race? I think black people have been out of slavery now for just over a hundred years, and people are still kind of struggling a little bit. It hasn't been that long. I don't know if race has anything to do with this particular situation. But in general I think, yeah, there's still a little problem with racism in America," Serena Williams responded.

Serena, her sister Venus, and their father Richard had accused the Indian Wells crowd of using racial slurs while jeering them. The sisters then boycotted the event for over a decade.