Serena Williams may be celebrating her ‘spectacular’ year after being named Sports Illustrated’s 2015 Sportsperson of the Year, but many of her fans have been left disappointed by her corresponding magazine cover in which they claim her thighs look noticeably ‘slimmer’.
After Sports Illustrated debuted the cover of its highly-anticipated annual issue on Monday, critics flocked to social media to comment on the size of the 34-year-old tennis star’s thighs, while accusing picture editors of using Photoshop to make her athletic legs look smaller.
‘The photoshopped the sh** out of #SerenaWilliams’ thighs for that #SportsIllustrated cover. Geez [sic],’ one person commented on Twitter.
Triumphant 2015: Serena Williams, 34, has been named Sports Illustrated’s 2015 Sportsperson of the Year and appears on the magazine’s cover in a black lace leotard and patent leather pumps
Meanwhile, another Twitter user noted: ‘I don’t like that cover photo of Serena Williams on SI because they made her thighs look nonexistent.’
In the powerful – and now controversial – image, Serena is pictured wearing a black lace leotard and patent leather pumps as she sits on a gold throne with her leg slung over the arm of the chair. However, not everyone was taken by the stunning image.
‘Photoshopped #SerenaWilliams until she looked slim. Beautiful picture but she better with her normal body [sic],’ one person tweeted, while another added: ‘Sports Illustrated didn’t do justice to Serena’s thighs but damn look @serenewilliams ankles.’
However, other people questioned whether the athlete’s smaller thighs were just the result of her losing weight.
‘You are slaying on this cover! Your thighs look slimmer? Hope they didn’t photoshop your thunder [sic],’ one person wrote.
Meanwhile, another asked: ‘Wait did @serenawilliams lose weight or did @SInow photoshp her cuz i don’t ever recall them thighs ever being that small [sic].’
Both Sports Illustrated and Serena shared the cover photo on Instagram this morning, and while the magazine called it a ‘beautiful cover of an amazing athlete’, Serena gushed about her amazing year.
‘This year was spectacular for me. For Sports Illustrated to recognize my hard work, my dedication, and my sheer determination gives me hope to continue on and do better,’ she wrote.
‘As I always say, it takes a village, it’s not just one person. This is not just an accomplishment for me, but for my whole team. I am beyond honored. I love you guys! 2016?’
Her Instagram post has earned nearly 33,000 likes in just one hour, with followers lauding her for her achievements and inspiring tenacity.
In the feature, Sports Illustrated praises Serena not just for being considered by many to be the best female tennis player of all time, but for making headlines all year long in entertainment, pop culture, fashion, and even politics.
Serena recently flaunted her legs by posing topless for the exclusive 2016 Pirelli Calendar, which saw a change this year as the 43rd edition features some of the world’s most inspiring women.
She also appeared in the animated movie Pixels with Martha Stewart and Peter Dinklage, was praised by President Obama for her athleticism, and chased down a cell phone thief and actually got him to give back her phone.
Always a winner: Serena, who is pictured at the Australian Open in January, later failed to earn a calendar Grand Slam after losing in the US Open finals, but is regarded one of the best female tennis players of all time
Big year: Sports Illustrated revealed that Serena was chosen not just for her tennis achievements, but for making headlines all year long in entertainment, pop culture, fashion, and even politics
Sisters above all: Serena defeated her older sister Venus, 35, in the quarterfinals at this year’s US Open. Above, the siblings pose together before their hugely-anticipated match-up
Looking ahead: The tennis star was also seen on Sunday participating in her own Serena Williams Live Ultimate Run South Beach 2015 event in Miami, where she was seen hopping a taxi at the 2k mark
Just days after her Grand Slam dream was crushed by Italian Roberta Vinci in the US Open, Serena debuted her fashion collection at New York Fashion Week as Anna Wintour, Drake, and Kendall Jenner cheered her on.
However, sadly, Serena is not a stranger to public scrutiny and body shaming. Harry Potter author JK Rowling had to jump to the player’s defense earlier this year when a troll attributed her tennis success to being ‘built like a man’.
In a cutting response to the remark, the 50-year-old immediately posted two images of Serena in a red figure-hugging knee-length dress before writing: ‘Yeah, my husband looks just like this in a dress. You’re an idiot.’
The effective jab – which was retweeted and favorited hundreds of thousands of times – came after the author gushed: ‘#SerenaSlam! I love her. What an athlete, what a role model, what a woman!’
On Sunday, the star was seen participating in her own Serena Williams Live Ultimate Run South Beach 2015 event in Miami, but jumped into taxi at the 2km mark.
Daily Mail Online has contacted Sports Illustrated for comment.
