Women's tennis rocked by controversy-filled day: Chris Evert & Emma Raducanu under fire, Serena Williams told to stay away from Meghan Markle, & more

Tennis is no stranger to controversy, but today’s headlines took a different turn. Serena Williams, despite being retired for years, found herself back in the spotlight–not for anything she did, but because of her close friend Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex.

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka found herself in hot water once again in Berlin, just days after sparking backlash with her comments about Coco Gauff following their French Open final. Emma Raducanu also stirred debate with her take on equal pay in tennis.

Meanwhile, Chris Evert got people talking too—this time, not for anything tennis-related, but for her comments about WNBA star Caitlin Clark. On that note, here is a look at the four biggest controversies that made waves today, June 19.

Serena Williams' fans accuse Meghan Markle of being jealous of the tennis icon

Meghan Markle and Serena Williams pictured at The 2024 ESPY Awards | Image Source: Getty

Serena Williams and Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, have been close friends for years, which is not a secret to anyone who follows tennis. They’ve always shown up for each other, whether it’s Williams proudly backing Markle’s Netflix project, or Markle sending thoughtful gifts to Williams’ daughter, Olympia.

However, a recent comment from Markle has left many questioning the genuineness of the friendship. During her appearance on the latest episode of the ‘Aspire With Emma Grede’ podcast, the host brought up Serena Williams, calling her one of the most successful entrepreneurs in addition to being a legendary athlete. Markle replied:

"Oh, yeah. Yeah. She is doing so well. She is killing. I mean, literally.”

Serena Williams’ fans quickly took to X (formerly Twitter) to share their reactions, with many accusing Meghan Markle of not showing much support for her longtime friend. Some even speculated that her tone hinted at jealousy.

Aryna Sabalenka lashes out at umpire over Berlin match suspension

Aryna Sabalenka pictured in Berlin | Image Source: Getty

Aryna Sabalenka kicked off her Berlin campaign against Switzerland’s Rebeka Masarova. While she came through with the win, the match had a controversial moment that kept things tense.

Sabalenka comfortably took the first set 6-2. But right after the set ended, Masarova approached the umpire, claiming the court was too slippery to continue. The umpire agreed and decided to delay the match, which left the Belarusian both confused and annoyed by the sudden interruption.

"So you're stopping the match because she said on that side it's slippery? I just played two games on that side. She's just losing the match,” Aryna Sabalenka told the umpire. “You know we're not going to finish. What's the point?” the umpire replied.

After dealing with the overnight delay, Sabalenka wrapped up the win with a 6-3, 7-5 victory, coming back from 2-4 down in the second set. She’ll now face Elena Rybakina in a much-anticipated quarterfinal clash on Friday, June 20.

Fans angry at Emma Raducanu's comments on equal pay in tennis

Emma Raducanu | Image Source: Getty

Emma Raducanu was recently asked about equal pay in tennis, and her response left a lot of people surprised. Rather than taking a clear stand, she said she wouldn’t support or oppose it, choosing to stay neutral.

Raducanu told the British media:

"I just prefer not to get involved. Whatever the situation is, I will kind of roll with it. But I am never really gonna take a stand either way. I don’t really get involved or kind of stay in the loop with all the boards and all the decisions. I kind of just get on with it, and I don't feel like I really am playing for money.”

Since the Brit's comments surfaced on X, fans have been all over it. They were stunned that a WTA player would take such a stance, with some calling her out for being too privileged to understand the real struggles around equal pay in the sport.

Chris Evert gets herself involved in Indiana Fever vs Connecticut Sun controversy while supporting Caitlin Clark

Chris Evert | Image Source: Getty

Chris Evert has never been one to hold back her opinions, whether it’s about tennis or something beyond the court. This time, as a known admirer of Caitlin Clark, she showed her support for the WNBA star.

Clark, representing the Indiana Fever, had a rough night on the court during Tuesday’s game against the Connecticut Sun. At one point, she was poked in the eye and later knocked to the ground, prompting officials to hand out technical fouls to her and Sun players, Marina Mabrey and Tina Charles.

Evert was upset by what happened and called out the way Clark had been treated by her fellow players. She wrote on X:

"When will these ladies realize, accept, and appreciate @CaitlinClark22 is the best thing that ever happened to women's basketball. This is a bad look for the sport, and what's happened to sportsmanship?"

Edited by Pritha Ghosh