The tennis great has explained that she faced the bizarre accusations from an opponent she kept defeating during her glittering career on the court.

Speaking with sister Venus Williams and singer Ciara on their Stockton Street podcast, the 23-time Grand Slam champion said: "The craziest thing I ever heard about me was that I did witchcraft, black magic, because I was beating some girl a lot. And so she claimed that we did black magic to beat her."

Venus even suggested that the player in question consulted a practitioner of black magic in an attempt to end their losing record against Serena.

She said: "From what I understand, someone on her team consulted a black magician to beat you."

Serena redefined women's tennis during a career that saw her win 23 major titles and four Olympic gold medals but admits that she didn't always celebrate her success properly.

The sports icon said: "I think as women, to be honest, we’re not taught to celebrate our wins because there’s always something new.

"It’s almost never enough. Having a kid is a huge victory, being a mom is a huge victory, doing what you (Ciara) do - winning a Grammy - these are massive accomplishments."

Williams added: "We’re not really taught, you know, when you go out onto the scene, you see a lot of parties happening, you see mostly men having a fabulous time, as they should—but we should also just enjoy."

However, Serena revealed that she changed her approach to celebrating after one of her victories at the Australian Open.

She explained: "It’s okay to be happy and say, ‘I did a good job today,’ and be proud of what you do and just celebrate your wins."