London - 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 #SportsIllustrated cover. Geez,” one person commented on Twitter.
Another Twitter user noted: “I don’t like that cover photo of Serena Williams on SI because they made her thighs look non-existent.”
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,” one person tweeted, while another added: “Sports Illustrated didn’t do justice to Serena’s thighs but damn look @serenawilliams 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,” 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.”
Both Sports Illustrated and Serena shared the cover photo on Instagram on Monday, 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 recognise 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 honoured. I love you guys! 2016.”
Her Instagram post 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, and was praised by President Barack Obama for her athleticism.
Daily Mail