Serena Williams Apologizes For Saying Steubenville Rape Victim Shouldn't Have Put Herself In That Position

16-year-old was gang-raped by football players at a high school party

Serena Williams was forced to issue a full apology for saying that the 16 year-old victim of a gang-rape had been "lucky" and "shouldn't have put herself in that position" after her comments provoked a furious backlash which threatened to overshadow the tennis champion's defence of her Wimbledon crown.

In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, the world number one women's player questioned the sentences received by two high school football players who sexually abused a drunk girl at a party in August last year, while other students distributed pictures and video footage on social media.