Venus and Serena Williams have braved numerous odds to emerge as champions over the course of their illustrious careers. Martina Navratilova, however, is — or was at one point — of the opinion that their race may have benefitted them as much as put up hurdles in the path.

People are afraid to criticize them, don't want to be called racist" - When Martina Navratilova accused Venus & Serena Williams of having no humility

The Czech legend said in an interview in 2001 that the two sisters lacked humility.

The 18-time Grand Slam champion had at the time said that people may be afraid to criticize Venus and Serena Williams for fear of being called racist. Navratilova would go on to accuse the duo of never giving their opponents any credit and being afraid of showing ‘any kind of humility’.

“People have been afraid to criticize them because they don’t want to be called racist,” she continued. “They have made excuses and not given any credit to their opponents. They’re afraid to show any kind of humility.”

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Venus and Serena Williams both had impressive seasons in 2001, with Venus Williams successfully defending her titles at Wimbledon and US Open. She also won another four titles, including the Ericsson Open (now known as the Miami Open).

While Serena Williams was unable to win a single Major, she did reach the final of the US Open where she was beaten by her sister. The American won three tournaments in 2001. These were the Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells (now known as the BNP Paribas Open), the Rogers AT&T Cup in Toronto (now known as the National Bank Open), and the year-end championships in Munich.

“Being black only helps them” – Martina Hingis echoed Martina Navratilova’s view on Venus & Serena Williams

Another former World No. 1, Switzerland’s Martina Hingis had echoed Navartilova’s views in an interview with Time magazine, hinting at the Williams sisters benefitting from their race.

Serena Williams after beating Martina Hingis at the 2001 US Open.

The Swiss said being black helped the duo secure better sponsorship deals, before adding that they can also attribute perceived unfairness to racism.

“Being black only helps them,” Martina Hingis had said. “Many times they get sponsors because they are black. And they have had a lot of advantages because they can always say, ‘It’s racism.’ They can always come back and say, ‘Because we are this color, things happen.”’

Venus and Serena Williams played Martina Hingis on a number of occasions over the course of their career. While the Swiss trailed her head-to-head against Serena 6-7, she held a slight edge over Venus 11-10.