“Serena Williams said I'll take that 24, thanks” – Tennis fans react to Margaret Court being target of home burglary

Tennis fans around the world, especially Serena Williams’ fans, reacted to Margaret Court being the target of a home robbery, which took place on 26 January 2023. The 24-time Grand Slam champion's home was ransacked and the thieves got away with racquets, medals, awards and jewelry.

Margaret Court was away on holiday with her husband, Barrymore Court, when her Perth home was attacked. The thieves ran away with several valuables while the Australian tennis legend and her husband could only see their home getting robbed through their security system.

Western Australia police have arrested two men following the incident. According to police reports, two men aged 33 and 34 have been charged with aggravated home burglary and one count of stealing.

Since the news hit the public domain, Williams’ fans have been mocking the incident on Twitter, making jokes about how it could have been the 23-time Grand Slam champion herself in disguise, wanting Court to not have more Slam trophies than her.

The Australian tennis legend is also a controversial figure for being a vocal critic of the LGBTQ+ community and same-sex marriage, meaning that tennis fans around the world were not as heartbroken as they should have been when they found out about the robbery.

“Serena [Williams] said I'll take that 24, thanks,” one Serena fan expressed on Twitter.

Another fan mockingly insinuated that maybe the robbery was the work of Serena Williams fans who would want her to have more Grand Slam singles titles than Margaret Court.

“The devil works hard but Rena's Army works harder,” the fan wrote on Twitter.

Here are a few other fan reactions:

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Western Australia police commented that the culprits entered the house through the front entrance and looted the property. Some items that were taken were found in nearby bushes and gardens.

“Two men gained access to the premises via the front entrance door. Once inside, it will be further alleged the accused rummaged through the victim’s property and stole a number of items including awards, medals and jewellery. A number of the items were located in nearby bushland and gardens,” said the police spokesperson.

"I don’t think she has ever admired me" - What Margaret Court thinks of Serena Williams

Serena Williams at the 2017 Australian Open

Speaking in an interview last year, Margaret Court touched on Serena Williams' retirement ceremony at the US Open, criticizing the American for not showing enough respect to her final opponent -- Ajla Tomljanovic. The Aussie further went on to lament how Williams had never respected her either, while she had always shown the highest regard for the former World No. 1.

“I thought it was bad that Williams didn’t mention her opponent more when she spoke. We were taught to be role models for the young, in how we behaved. We were taught to honour our opponent," Court said. "You learned from your losses. We respected one another. Serena, I’ve admired her as a player. But I don’t think she has ever admired me.”