Serena Williams accepts Murray's 'Battle of the Sexes' challenge, but on clay

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ANI London
Last Updated : Jun 28 2013 | 9:00 AM IST

American tennis star Serena Williams has reportedly accepted the challenge of British ace Andy Murray, saying that she would play against the Scot in a modern-day Battle of the Sexes.

The US Open and Olympics champion had suggested a showdown in Las Vegas after being challenged on Twitter by a fan to take on five-times Wimbledon winner Williams, the Mirror reports.

However, Williams, who sailed past Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia 6-3 6-2 to earn a third round clash with Japanese veteran Kimiko Date-Krumm, admitted that she might require a unique handicap system to give her a chance of even causing Murray a problem.

Returning Murray's challenge with interest, Williams said that although she is a little intimidated to play against Murray given that he is among the top three in the men's levels, she would love to have a showdown with the Scot on a clay court, instead of grass.

According to Williams, she would then get to use double alleys, while Murray would not get any serves, adding that if he is agreeable to those conditions, then she would play against him and may even be able to beat him.

Meanwhile, Murray was all for playing with Williams, saying that as the American star is an incredible player, people would be interested to see a man play against a woman to see how the styles match up.

Recalling the 1992 clash between Jimmy Connors and Martina Navratilova, Murray further said that the win of Billie Jean King over Bobby Riggs in 1973 was a key moment in the campaign for equal pay.

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First Published: Jun 28 2013 | 8:56 AM IST

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