Serena Williams knows a thing or two about sex appeal. And the tennis star complimented Russian teenager Maria Sharapova for having lots of it.
”She’s sexy,” Williams said on Tuesday, smiling. Organisers of this week’s WTA Championships have focused their advertising on Sharapova, the 17-year-old blond beauty who stunned the tennis world by winning Wimbledon in July. Her leggy image is featured in a tournament poster with the tag line, ”The closer you sit the hotter she gets.”
”I love her legs in this picture. Her legs are so sexy,” Williams said, studying the black and white shot of Sharapova sitting in a short skirt on a court. ”She is not being sold in this picture. This is a hot picture. If you’re not ready to sell pictures, then you shouldn’t be part of the tournament.
”Unfortunately, I hate to say it, but sex sells.”
Williams said it didn’t bother her that someone Sharapova’s age was being portrayed in an alluring way.
”I know a lot of people who are 12 and doing things they shouldn’t be doing,” she said.
”Whether you’re an actress or a singer, it’s always the sexier ones that are selling more tickets or selling more albums.”
Williams doesn’t believe American culture is too uptight.
”If anything, we’re a little loose,” she said.
Williams has created an on-court stir over the years with her skintight outfits, including a leather-looking ”catsuit” she wore at the United States Open. She is currently designing outfits that she will wear next year.
Tournament director John Arrix said organisers weren’t able to promote Williams because she didn’t qualify until late last week, when her older sister Venus lost in Philadelphia, which allowed Serena into the eight-player field. – Sapa-AP