Serena Williams called out as 'cowardly' towards 'men in women's sports' as debate ramps up amid WTA demanding gender testing

Friday, 24 July 2026 at 03:30

The WTA in the past week reportedly have demanded that all players have to go through gender testing amid the potential threat of transgender players in women's tennis, this has widely been panned as there isn't currently one. But Serena Williams is the latest to catch flack about this.

Jonny Root who works for FOX took to social media to say that the narrative needs to change from Serena Williams being seen as an activist for men in women's sports to a coward amid her silence about this issue.

She previously made comments about biological differences in 2013 on The Late Show and that her argument has been a huge benefit in the fight. But he has accused her of sitting back and not continuing to fight against it. Martina Navratilova and Aryna Sabalenka have both spoke about this in particular with the former being a hugely vocal voice on the issue.

Sabalenka also said similar during tours for her Battle of the Sexes with Nick Kyrgios during media appearances on Piers Morgan for instance. Root went on to say that she should be on the frontline fighting for it instead of hiding away and that it would help end the narrative for good if she did.

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"We have to stop pretending that Serena Williams is an activist against men in women’s sports. She’s been cowardly silent over the past decade as men have invaded women’s sports," Root wrote.

We have to stop pretending that Serena Williams is an activist against men in women’s sports.

She’s been cowardly silent over the past decade as men have invaded women’s sports.

She made her comments about biological differences in 2013 during an appearance on Late Show.

Her… https://t.co/xNuDIBoofv
— Jon Root (@JonnyRoot_) July 22, 2026

Serena Williams should be on frontlines for cause

"She made her comments about biological differences in 2013 during an appearance on Late Show. Her argumentation has been a huge benefit in the fight to keep women’s sports female, but those comments weren’t made to conserve fairness & protect women’s sports, they were to dispel talking points that she could keep up with men if she competed in the male division."

"She should be on the frontlines fighting for women and girls, but she’s been silent. Her voice would help end this nonsense for good."

Serena on her return.

This is what Serena Williams did say at the time as she hoped to inspire all young women to dream big and continue to want to play in sport. But it seems that with this debate reigniting that while that might be the case, she might have to wade in on the fight in the coming months.

"For everything I’ve achieved in my life, I am profoundly grateful to have experienced the highs and lows that come with success. It is my hope that my story, and yours, will inspire all young women out there to push for greatness and follow their dreams with steadfast resilience. We must continue to dream big, and in doing so, we empower the next generation of women to be just as bold in their pursuits."

Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief

Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.

Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.

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