The 23-time Grand Slam champion, Serena Williams, always gave her heart out when she stepped on the court, which was even seen at the age of 44 on the Wimbledon Center Court on July 1st. Williams offered a rare and personal take on Aryna Sabalenka’s similar and fiery on-court temperament. 

“Sabalenka is number one. Okay. She’s such a spitfire,” Williams said at the Fanatics Fest in Manhattan. “You know, and she really gives her all when she’s out there. I see myself in that. And so I love that. I love that about her. Like, she’s just, and when she’s losing, she’s mad. And I wasn’t allowed to express my anger, but I love how she’s allowed to express her anger. And I love it.”

Williams’ personal experience with this problem just makes the comment more noteworthy. In her journey, she was constantly being called out when she appeared frustrated on the court. Most notably during the 2018 US Open final against Naomi Osaka, when a heated exchange with the chair umpire turned into a series of code violations. 

The American was fighting for the record-equaling 24th Grand Slam, which would put her alongside Margaret Court’s record. Osaka, who was just 20 years old, dominated the baseline exchanges and eventually won the match in straight sets.

This is only half the story, as Williams received three code violations in that match, including one for receiving on-court coaching, which wasn’t allowed at the time. Serena protested strongly, smashing a racket, and another for abusing the chair umpire, claiming that she never cheated. 

Similarly, Aryna Sabalenka has made a career out of unabashed intensity. The Belarusian is no stranger to expressing her emotions on court, whether smashing a racquet against a towel box during a US Open semi-final or yelling animatedly at her coaching box in the middle of a game. She has previously explained that these outbursts are not aimed at anyone in particular, but rather an understanding between her and her team. 

“I wasn’t angry at my team, we spoke before, and we agreed that if I need to let it out, I can do it, nothing personal,” she wrote at the time, alongside a post joking about how different her personality is on and off the court.

That fire has occasionally drawn criticism from Williams’ own camp. Her longtime coach Rennae Stubbs has previously called out Sabalenka for what she described as passive-aggressive jabs at her team during runner-up speeches. The world No. 1 has often jokingly mentioned that her team will be “fired” after tough losses, which Stubbs find it “annoying.” 

Sabalenka has always had a knack for getting over losses quickly, saying that her emotional response is an intrinsic part of how she plays the game, and not something which lasts for a long time. 

Both players even have very loud grunts after caressing every shot, which further adds to the firepower they display on court. For Williams, though, the admiration seems to run deeper than simple relatability. People have started to see the passion in those emotional outbursts, rather than just seeing it as an expression of anger.

Tennis traditionally being a ‘Gentlemen’s’ game, on-court frustration was not appreciated earlier. As time has progressed and the tour has evolved, that passion is appreciated by people and even by arguably the greatest of all time.