JK Rowling defends Serena Williams after Twitter troll's 'manly' criticism

British novelist JK Rowling jumped to Serena Williams's defence at the weekend after a Twitter user described the Wimbledon champion as 'manly'.

The 33-year-old American claimed her sixth title at the All England Club in a straight-sets victory over Garbine Muguruza on Saturday.

The triumph was a historical one for Williams as she became the oldest ever Wimbledon champion and is on course to complete a calendar Grand Slam following victories at the Australian and French Opens.

Despite Williams's success, one Twitter user decided to criticise the tennis star by claiming that she was "built like a man" - a comment which Rowling, who is best known for the Harry Potter series, did not take kindly.

In response, the 49-year-old posted a photo of Williams in a figure-hugging red dress and wrote: "Yeah, my husband looks just like this in a dress. You're an idiot."

.@diegtristan8 "she is built like a man". Yeah, my husband looks just like this in a dress. You're an idiot. pic.twitter.com/BCvT10MYkI

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) July 11, 2015