Director Jane Campion in hot water with tennis fans after quip about Venus and Serena Williams

Jane Campion, director of the critically-acclaimed movie 'The Power of the Dog', has come under fire from tennis fans for her recent quip about Serena Williams and Venus Williams.

Campion won the Critics' Choice Award for Best Director for the aforementioned film, beating five other nominees - Paul Thomas Anderson, Kenneth Branagh, Guillermo del Toro, Steven Spielberg and Denis Villenueve - all of whom are men.

In her acceptance speech, the Kiwi made a rather tasteless joke about the Williams sisters who were there in their capacity as executive producers of King Richard, a biopic based on their father Richard Williams. Addressing the former World No. 1s directly, Jane Campio remarked that, unlike them, she had to compete directly against men.

"Venus and Serena Williams, it's an honor to be in the room with you. I'd like to give my love out to my fellow nominees," Campion said. "Serena and Venus, you are such marvels. However, you do not play against the guys like I have to."

Here's a video of the incident uploaded to YouTube:

To their credit, neither sister seemed too concerned about the backhanded compliment. Serena Williams was even spotted applauding earnestly at the comment. But the same cannot be said of their fans on social media.

Immediately after Campion's speech, tennis fans took to Twitter to chastise the 67-year-old for her needless comments against two champions of the game who have fought against sexism and racism time and again.

"Is Jane Campion aware what Venus & Serena had to deal with in the whitest of sports? What an insulting comparison," one fan wrote. "She must have not watched [King Richard]. Serena Williams was right when she recently wrote, 'No matter how far we come, we get reminded that it's not enough.'"

The "no matter how far we come" quote by the 23-time Grand Slam champion is in reference to a recent incident where the New York Times mistakenly used a picture of her sister Venus Williams in a news story about herself. The magazine subsequently issued an apology for their mistake and made the correction immediately.

"They didn’t compete against the men, but competed against a whole racist white dominated establishment that made sure they were unappreciated, disrespected and underpaid," another user wrote. "Next time, Jane campion, respect Venus and Serena Williams and don’t belittle their fight. Idiotic lady."

While almost everyone unanimously agreed that Jane Campion did something wonderful with 'The Power of the Dog', a movie she wrote, directed and produced, they did not think her comments against the American sisters were warranted. Several pointed out that if she wanted to promote women in the industry, she could have done it without bringing down other women.

"Jane Campion accomplished something very impressive, but instead of highlighting the fact that female directors need to be honored, accepted, and seen more - she takes a jab at Serena and Venus?" a fan posted. "Girl, why you perpetuating comparing women in unnecessary ways? I don’t get it."

"The arrogance and ignorance of Jane Campion," another fan tweeted. Anyone who knows anything about Venus and Serena Williams' careers wouldn't think to utter something this stupid and insulting."

Several were of the opinion that the "joke" was yet another example of the casual racism prevalent in the industry.

"What Jane Campion said in her speech was not funny or appropriate. It was racist. White people laughing, and thinking it was vaild shows why there's still so many damb issues in this industry," one fan wrote. "They're ok with the casual racism because they don't see racism the way we do."

Serena Williams and Venus Williams have had to repeatedly endure racist and sexist remarks, sometimes even in their home tournaments

Venus and Serena Williams have fought against institutions of racism and sexism all their life

Campion's statement that Serena and Venus Williams did not have to fight against anyone but women on the court doesn't hold true in the least bit.

Both sisters boycotted the Indian Wells Open for more than a decade after they and their father were subjected to racist comments. Another incident of note was the Herald Sun's racist cartoon of the 23-time Grand Slam Champion after her loss against Naomi Osaka in the final of the 2018 US Open.

Venus Williams, on the other hand, stood at the forefront of the fight against the wage gap in the sport. Her emotional essay in The Times finally brought the All England club to its knees, forcing Wimbledon to award equal prize money to both men's and women's winners since 2007.