‘They can’t do what you do’: Serena Williams speaks out in support of Caitlin Clark
Serena Williams has spoken out in support of Caitlin Clark, saying she is happy the Indiana Fever star is staying away from social media and applauds the rookie for staying grounded.
Williams spoke at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York for the premiere of In the Arena: Serena Williams, a new eight-part documentary series.
“If people are negative, it’s because they can’t do what you do,” Williams said.
Clark was drafted No. 1 overall by Indiana after a historic college career at Iowa. She has faced some tough fouls and struggled at times during her rookie season. She was also left out of the U.S. roster for the Olympics.
The decision not to take her to Paris has led to a significant amount of racist, sexist and homophobic comments online from people claiming to be defending Clark, who is white, in a league where the majority of players are black and many are gay.
“People shouldn’t be using my name to push those agendas. It’s disappointing. It is not acceptable,” Clark said last week. “…Treating every woman in this league with equal respect, I think, it’s just a human thing that everyone should do.”
Clark has publicly said that she tries to avoid social media due to the pressure of being in the national spotlight at a young age.
“Honestly, I feel like I talk to the media more than I talk to my own family, and that’s — no, I’m dead serious — and that’s kind of sad in a way,” Clark said in May. “It’s a lot for someone 22 years old. It can be tough sometimes. Getting off social media has been the healthiest thing.”
Clark has consistently tried to distance herself from off-court controversies, saying her focus is solely on basketball. But she did that too criticized for not using her platform to speak out on issues and for avoiding controversial topics.
Williams said she recognized the pressure on Clark and that she is also staying away from her social channels.
“I love that she tries to stay grounded,” Williams said. “She says she doesn’t look at her social media [media]. I understand. Me neither. I think it’s so important to just keep doing what she’s doing. Regardless of what other people do. Hopefully she keeps doing what she’s doing.”
Speaking ahead of the series airing July 10 on ESPN+, Williams also described the treatment she received in the tennis world as a teenager.
“I was bullied. Things that I had to go through, people would be called off because they would say it now,” Williams said. “My position growing up, as a teenager, I had to kind of keep my guard up in order to have some sanity stay. Just now [getting] so much press and doing everything I did and traveling the world every year. It was every week. It was a grind.”