billie jean king says serena williams is the best player ever

Everybody is hoping for Serena Williams to reach the finals  of the 2015 US Open. Among them are many tennis icons such as Andy Roddick and Billie Jean King.
Tennis icon Billie Jean King joined HuffPost Live and discussed Serena Williams‘ talent.

Billie Jean King thinks Serena Williams is the best ever

When asked if she thinks Williams is the “best tennis player ever,” King replied:

Billie Jean King: “Yes. I think we all do. I think every generation gets better.”

Billie Jean King also shared her thoughts on the media’s treatment of Serena Williams

Billie Jean King: “Well if you’re a woman you don’t get the same treatment, there’s no question. I think it’s the best it’s ever been, though. We’re making progress because she’s definitely had the most attention. Way more compared to Steffi Graf. But we have social media now! … So it’s not fair either to judge because in the old days the traditional media told our story, but we didn’t have means to tell our story either. So it’s better, you get more exposure and it’s fantastic, it’s more immediate.”

Billie Jean King also commented there is too much emphasis on female athletes bodies.

Credit to HuffPost Live and go here for the full interview with Billie Jean King 

Andy Roddick supports Serena Williams all the way

Andy Roddick said in an interview last week with the New York Observer that he supports Serena Williams all the way.

“I hope she wins it. We have been friends since we were 8,” he said of his fellow tennis professional, whom he shares a manager, Jill Smoller, with. “For 4 years we practiced on the courts in south Florida. We played right next to each other. To see her come from the ten year old year with beads in her hair-I mean shit just to see her become just this complete icon and the best female athlete of all time. I love the respect she’s getting this week in the lead up too. She has the support of an entire country. We threw lots of fits on the court. I was a dick a lot of the time, and I didn’t get a quarter of the criticism that she ever got. To see her at this moment, and on the precipice of doing something great, and that will be remembered forever, it’s just so cool. I’m so happy for her, and I hope she does it.”