Todd Woodbridge, a former Australian tennis great, has slammed basketball star Liz Cambage.
Todd Woodbridge, the Australian tennis champion, launched a spectacular assault on Liz Cambage, highlighting secret victims in her Olympics danger.
Todd Woodbridge, Australia’s tennis champion, has launched a spectacular assault on Liz Cambage, Australia’s basketball queen, over her Olympics challenge this week.
Cambage made headlines around the world after shockingly announcing she would not represent Australia at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics as a result of an Olympics team photo controversy.
Cambage pulled a coach and former players into her controversy on Saturday, saying she had received threats.
The 29-year-old sparked outrage across Australia when she expressed her displeasure with the athletes chosen to represent the country in promotional photo shoots leading up to the Games.
In recent years, the WNBA star has served as the Australian Opals’ chief, but she has had enough of people of color being underrepresented.
Cambage sparked outrage when she posted photographs from the unveiling of the Australian Olympic and Paralympic teams’ uniforms. She criticized the photographs for their lack of diversity.
On Sunday, Woodbridge became one of the most outspoken critics of Cambage’s public comments, claiming the WNBA star “disrespected” the athletes involved in the photo shoot by displaying her “anger.”
He stated that protesting in such a public manner was not the proper way to do so.
“My first reaction was, don’t do it that way,” Woodbridge told Channel 9’s Sports Sunday.
“Why are you doing it that way? Why do it out of anger and threats? You cannot threaten to withdraw from serving your country; you have the right to be there and do something extraordinary. That is, she altered the course of history. She didn’t have to go out there and use profanity to warn us all that we’d done something wrong. “I’d say, bravo for standing up for it, but there are other ways. We have another fantastic ambassador here in Australia, Ash Barty, who does it the right way. That is not her fashion.”
Barty is an Indigenous Australian who is very proud of his heritage.
“I think there was some disdain for the athletes in the photograph, who deserved to be there,” Woodbridge said.
Cambage has competed for Australia in the past two Olympics, winning a bronze medal. Woodbridge competed in the men’s doubles at the Olympics with partner Mark Woodforde. They were gold medalists in 1996 and silver medalists in 2000.
Cambage doubled down on her outrage Friday night, taking to Instagram Stories to urge Australia to “wake the f**k up.”
Liz Cambage keeps calling out haters. 
Liz Cambage posts a screenshot on Instagram.
Cambage also announced on Saturday that she has been subjected to online harassment as a result of her public statements.
Her explosive allegations include an allegation that a coach and former players were among those who chastised her for taking a stand.
Tom Maher, Australia’s most influential women’s coach, called Cambage’s threat to boycott the Tokyo Olympics “inappropriate” on Friday.
Maher, who led Australia’s women’s team to their first Olympic medal (bronze) at the 1996 Atlanta Games and a silver at the 2000 Sydney Games, claims Cambage should not have used social media to voice her concerns.
“It is inexcusable to make such a big deal out of almost nothing,” Maher, who also won a record nine WNBL championships, said.
Hours later, Cambage captioned one of her Instagram stories with the following: “I DON’T CARE About A WHITE MAN’S OPINION ON RACIAL ISSUES.” NEVER EVER HAVE. NEVER EVER Would”.
She then made another post, implying that her remark was in response to feedback she had received from a coach and former players.
“Even more so when the comments come from one of the most abusive coaches I’ve ever had and former players who are no longer relevant,” she wrote.
A third post warned online bullies that she can monitor social media users who send her threats.
Cambage took issue with the athletes selected to represent Australia in promotional shoots. 
Cambage hit out at the lack of diversity.
“Continue your threats, boys,” she wrote on a screenshot pic.
Maher coached Cambage at Bulleen Boomers and famously challenged her to get back in shape after the 2011 WNBA season.
Cambage admitted she was “unfit” at the time due to “sitting on the bench and consuming American food.”
That season, the pair combined to lead the Boomers to the WNBL championship, with Cambage being named the league’s MVP.
The AOC replied earlier in the day on Friday.
“The athletes made available to Jockey might and should have represented the rich diversity of Australian athletes competing at the Olympic Games,” a spokesperson said.
“However, the AOC has a long and proud tradition of honoring and supporting diversity in all of its manifestations. The AOC is justifiably proud of its record on Indigenous reconciliation, people of color, racial equality, and all other aspects of diversity.”
Cambage has not been silent on race issues in Australia before, with the Las Vegas Aces WNBA star sending a fiery letter to Australian “allies” last year in the wake of George Floyd’s death and black deaths in custody.
