Williams was hailed by many quarters as the greatest tennis player of all time when she retired on Saturday after her third-round loss at the US Open, a title shy of a record court title from 1960 to 1973.
“Serena, I admired her as a player,” Court, 80, told Britain’s Daily Telegraph in a rare interview.
“But I don’t think he ever admired me.”
Court said she had become a non-person in the tennis world because of her Christian beliefs, which led her to oppose same-sex marriage when it was proposed in Australia.
The 80-year-old defended her achievements against suggestions that she could not be compared to Williams as she played mostly in the amateur era.
Court said, “Serena has played seven years more than me.” “I finished in my early 30s. People forget that I took two years off. I retired for the first time … when I was 25, thinking I would never return to tennis.
“I got married, had a baby, but then I had my best year, winning 24 tournaments out of 25.”
Court reminded her critics that she had an even better record after becoming a mother during Williams’ career.
“I came back after two kids,” she said. “After having my first child, I won three out of four Slams. And Serena hasn’t won a Slam since” when she had her baby.
Court also hit out at suggestions that her 11 Australian Open singles titles were less than Williams’ seven.
“I often hear Billie Jean (King) saying that people didn’t come to Australia in my early years,” she said.
“But Maria Bueno, world number one, came down. Christine Truman, Ann Hayden, Darlene Hard. Plus, Australia had some amazing players. We had five girls in the top 10. Leslie Borey won two French Opens. ”
easy life
Court said that she felt that the life of a top tennis player was really difficult in her days.
“I would love to play in this era. I think it is very easy,” she said.
“How would I love to take family or friends with me. But I couldn’t. I had to go by myself or with the national team. People don’t see it all.
“We didn’t have psychologists or coaches with us. It’s a completely different world. That’s what frustrates me – that players today don’t respect the past of the game.”
Court said he was disappointed that Williams made little mention of Australian Ajla Tomljanovic after the final match of his career.
“I thought it was bad that Williams didn’t mention her opponent more when she spoke,” she says. “We were taught to respect our opponent. We respected each other.”
The court said that the displeasure from the tennis world did not disturb his sleep, but he did feel sad.
“Today a lot of the press and television, especially in tennis, don’t want to mention my name,” she said.
“There hasn’t been respect for what I did. In my own country, I’ve been given titles, but they still won’t mention me.”
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