July 17, 2015 14:31 UTC

On Saturday, July 11, tennis player Serena Williamswon her 21st major competition. The American athlete defeated Spanishplayer Garbine Muguruza in the women’s singles final at Wimbledon, England. The win means Williams is just one step away from completing a women’ssingles Grand Slam.

In tennis, the Grand Slam is composed of the Australian Open, French Open,Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. Only three women have captured the GrandSlam by winning all four tournaments in a calendar year. The last was Germany’s Steffi Graf in 1988. And Williams will have her chance at the U.S.Open coming up in September.

Body image over body performance

Even with the possibility of William’s making tennis history, the main subject ofwomen’s tennis in the last few days was not Williams’ victory. Instead,newspapers, broadcasters and social media have focused on Williams’appearance, especially her muscles and the shape of her body.

On Friday, the day before her Wimbledon win, The New York Times publishedan article called “Tennis’s Top Women Balance Body Image With Ambition.”Ben Rothenberg wrote the article.

Mr. Rothenberg begins the article by writing that Serena Williams wears longsleeves to cover her “large biceps.” He goes on to write that many femaletennis players do not seek large muscles even if it would improve their game. He writes that “body image issues” lead them to “avoid bulking up.”

The writer questioned several professional tennis players about developing amore muscular body to compete.

Andrea Petkovic of Germany was not in favor of it, saying “I just feelunfeminine.” Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland said she cares about howshe looks, in her words, “because I’m a girl.” Radwanska’s coach said to thewriter, “It’s our decision to keep her as the smallest player in the top 10.Because, first of all she’s a woman, and she wants to be a woman.”

‘Absurd and insulting’

So, the implication is if a woman is muscular and powerful, she is notwomanly. And, the report suggests that this thinking is common in the world ofwomen’s tennis.

The New York Times report caused a widespread and angry debate on socialand traditional media.

Salon.com writer Mary Elizabeth Williams protested the “body-slamming” ofSerena Williams as “an absurd and insulting” habit that must end. She toldcritics of Williams’ body that they are free to judge the athlete by the size ofher arms but she wrote “history will remember her by the length of the list ofher victories.”

Even The New York Times public editor Margaret Sullivan took issue withBen Rothenberg’s article. Her column raised the question whether the articlewas a “double fault.” Ms. Sullivan wrote the article was “a missedopportunity” and that it “didn’t find a way to challenge the views expressed,instead of simply mirroring them.”

On social media, author J.K. Rowling praised Serena Williams’ victory with“What a woman!” tweet. A Twitter user from Manchester, England, called it “ironic.” He tweeted that Serena was successful because “she is built like aman." Rowling answered with pictures of Serena in a dress and high heels. She tweeted, “Yeah, my husband looks just like this in a dress. You're anidiot."

History repeats itself

Criticism about the appearances of female athletes is not new. Tennischampion Martina Navratilova was the subject of insults and jokes throughouther career. She was called “manly” and was accused of having male bodyparts. She was also accused of using performance-enhancing drugs, likesteroids.

Some people in the media have raised similar suspicions about SerenaWilliams. Just two days after Wimbledon, David Frum of The Atlanticsuggested on Twitter that Williams might use steroids. And, in his tweets heincluded several references to Ben Rothenberg’s article in The New York Times.

I’m Ashley Thompson with Caty Weaver.

Caty Weaver reported this story from Washington. Hai Do was the editor.

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Words in This Story

tournament – n. a sports competition or series of contests that involvesmany players or teams and that usually continues for at least several days

bulk up – phrasal v. to gain weight often by becoming more muscular

feminine – adj. of, relating to, or suited to women or girls

implication ­– n. something that is suggested without being said directly

double fault – n. in tennis, two bad serves that result in the loss of a point

ironic – adj. using words that mean the opposite of what you really thinkespecially in order to be funny

Julia Robins is a Ms. editorial intern and a graduate of William & Mary. Follow Julia on Twitter @julia_robins.

WIMBLEDON, England — While most celebrities go incognito behind a hat and sunglasses, Serena Williams uses a different tactic to blend into a crowd: long sleeves.

During an appearance on Home Shopping Network for her clothing line, Williams said that one particular long-sleeved garment would help her go unnoticed in public.

“My arms are really fit, but I wanted to cover them, because when I do people don’t recognize me as much,” she said.

Williams, who will be vying for the Wimbledon title against Garbiñe Muguruza on Saturday, has large biceps and a mold-breaking muscular frame, which packs the power and athleticism that have dominated women’s tennis for years. Her rivals could try to emulate her physique, but most of them choose not to.

Despite Williams’s success — a victory Saturday would give her 21 Grand Slam singles titles and her fourth in a row — body-image issues among female tennis players persist, compelling many players to avoid bulking up.

Radwanska, who struggled this year before a run to the Wimbledon semifinals, said that any gain in muscle could hurt her trademark speed and finesse, but she also acknowledged that how she looked mattered to her.

“Of course I care about that as well, because I’m a girl,” Radwanska said. “But I also have the genes where I don’t know what I have to do to get bigger, because it’s just not going anywhere.”

For many, perceived ideal feminine body type can seem at odds with the best physique for tennis success. Andrea Petkovic, a German ranked 14th, said she particularly loathed seeing pictures of herself hitting two-handed backhands, when her arm muscles appear the most bulging.

“I just feel unfeminine,” she said. “I don’t know — it’s probably that I’m self-conscious about what people might say. It’s stupid, but it’s insecurities that every woman has, I think. I definitely have them and I’m not ashamed to admit it. I would love to be a confident player that is proud of her body. Women, when we grow up we’ve been judged more, our physicality is judged more, and it makes us self-conscious.”

Petkovic said that people who meet her in person often remark that she is smaller than she looks in photographs and on television.

“People say, ‘Oh, you’re so skinny, I always thought you were huge,’ ” she said. “And then I feel like there are 80 million people in Germany who think I’m a bodybuilder. Then, when they see me in person, they think I’m O.K.”

Williams, 33, who has appeared on the cover of Vogue, is regarded as symbol of beauty by many women. But she has also been gawked at and mocked throughout her career, and she said growing confident and secure in her build was a long process.

“I don’t touch a weight, because I’m already super fit and super cut, and if I even look at weights, I get bigger,” she said. “For years I’ve only done Thera-Bands and things like that, because that’s kind of how I felt. But then I realized that you really have to learn to accept who you are and love who you are. I’m really happy with my body type, and I’m really proud of it. Obviously it works out for me. I talk about it all the time, how it was uncomfortable for someone like me to be in my body.”

Not all players have achieved Williams’s self-acceptance.

“That is really an important acceptance for some female athletes, that their best body type, their best performance build, is one that is not thin; it’s one of power,” said Pam Shriver, a former player and current tennis analyst.

Shriver, who cited Angelique Kerber and Sabine Lisicki as similarly powerfully built, believes Williams’s physique and confidence should serve as an example to others.

“The way Serena wears her body type I think is perfect,” Shriver said. “I think it’s wonderful, her pride.”

Heather Watson said that she was proud of how she looked and that she thought she and her fellow players had some of the best bodies possible.

“I actually like looking strong,” Watson said. “I find strong, fit women a lot more attractive than lanky no-shape ones.”

Like many others, Caroline Wozniacki said that putting herself in the best shape for tennis would be the priority until she stopped playing, when she could then trim down.

“Right now I’m a tennis player, so I’m going to do everything I can to be the best tennis player that I can be,” said Wozniacki, who was featured in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue last year. “If that means that I need to add a little muscle to my legs or my butt or whatever, then that’s what I’m going to do. I can be a model after I finish.”

Madison Keys, a 20-year-old American, was recently angered by a television show in which men discussed their picks for the most attractive female athletes.

“One of the guys on it was like, ‘Well, aren’t they all really masculine?’ and I kind of took it personally,” Keys said. “I was like, ‘No, I’m not, actually.’ I think it still is a little bit against kind of what society thinks that you should be doing.”

Timea Bacsinszky, who openly discusses the work she has done with a psychologist to come to grips with her playing career, said she had become more comfortable with her body and more at peace with the emphasis placed on appearance in the sport.

“If I’m getting bigger, then I’m getting bigger,” Bacsinszky, 26, said, adding, “I know if it’s for my sport, and the good of my forehand and my backhand and my serve, then I will do it.”

Maria Sharapova, a slender, blond Russian who has been the highest-paid female athlete for more than a decade because of her lucrative endorsements, said she still wished she could be thinner. “I always want to be skinnier with less cellulite; I think that’s every girl’s wish,” she said, laughing.

Sharapova said she avoided weights in her training, instead focusing on stretching and preventive exercises, which she believes are more beneficial for tennis than adding muscle.

“I can’t handle lifting more than five pounds,” Sharapova said. “It’s just annoying, and it’s just too much hard work. And for my sport, I just feel like it’s unnecessary.”

Eugenie Bouchard, who was often dubbed “the next Maria Sharapova” as she ascended the rankings last year, said she hoped to gain more strength and muscle as her results have fallen off.

“If I start to see it, I’ll be happy,” Bouchard said. “If it’s what you need to lift trophies, who cares what you look like?”