Margaret Court has aimed a dig at Serena Williams following her retirement from tennis after being eliminated from the US Open in the third round.
Court has the most Grand Slam singles title wins in the history of women's tennis with 24, while Williams retires with 23 victories. However, speaking ahead of the US Open, Williams said she had "already broken the record" for the most Grand Slam title wins, with 13 of Court's victories occurring before the 'open era' when professional players were not allowed to compete alongside amateurs for Grand Slams.
Now, in an interview with the Telegraph, Court has criticised Williams' sportsmanship following her defeat to Ajla Tomljanovic which ended her US Open run. "Serena, I've admired her as a player, but I don't think she has ever admired me," Court said.
"I thought it was bad that Williams didn't mention her opponent more when she spoke. We were taught to honour our opponent. We respected one another." Williams did acknowledge Tomljanovic after the match, albeit briefly, saying: "I tried, but Ajla just played a little bit better."
Speaking to Vogue last month, Williams said of Court: "There are people who say I'm not the GOAT [greatest of all time] because I didn't pass Margaret Court's record of 24 grand slam titles, which she achieved before the 'open era' that began in 1968. I'd be lying if I said I didn't want that record. Obviously I do. But day to day, I'm really not thinking about her.
"The way I see it, I should have had 30-plus grand slams. I had my chances after coming back from giving birth. I went from a C-section to a second pulmonary embolism to a grand slam final. I played while breastfeeding. I played through postpartum depression.
"But I didn't get there. Shoulda, woulda, coulda. I didn't show up the way I should have or could have. But I showed up 23 times, and that's fine. Actually it's extraordinary."
Court has become a persona non grata within tennis due to her opposition to same-sex marriage and also spoke positively about South Africa's apartheid regime in 1970. In response to Williams being widely celebrated as the GOAT following her US Open exit, Court said: "Serena has played seven years more than I did.
"I finished in my early 30s. People forget that I took two years out. I first retired, like Ash Barty, when I was 25, thinking I would never return to tennis. I got married, had a baby, but then had one of my best years, winning 24 out of 25 tournaments.
"I came back after two babies! After having the first baby, I won three out of the four slams. And Serena hasn't won a slam since. I would love to have played in this era – I think it's so much easier."
