Tennis star Serena Williams is calling out a Paris hotel for not allowing her family to eat at its rooftop restaurant.
Williams aired her grievance on X, writing, “Yikes @peninsulaparis I’ve been denied access to rooftop to eat in a empty restaurant of nicer places…but never with my kids. Always a first,” Williams wrote in a message.
The four-time gold medalist is in Paris spectating the Olympics and even took part in the event’s opening ceremony last week as a torch bearer. She is on the trip with husband, Alexis Ohanian, and their two daughters, Olympia and Adira.
ADVERTISEMENT
After Williams’ tweet began circulating, the restaurant replied to Williams’ message and wrote: “Dear Mrs. Williams, Please accept our deepest apologies for the disappointment you encountered tonight. Unfortunately, our rooftop bar was indeed fully booked and the only unoccupied tables you saw belonged to our gourmet restaurant, L’Oiseau Blanc, which was fully reserved.”
Yet this is not the athlete’s first fracas with the French.
Back in 2018, Williams participated in the French Open in a black catsuit, and according to CNN, her outfit caused such controversy that she was banned from wearing it again.
“It will no longer be accepted … One must respect the game and the place,” French Tennis Federation President Bernard Giudicelli said of the outfit.
“I didn’t know it would have such an impact,” Williams said. “Here I am, just trying to be healthy, I was a new mom and just trying to be me. It was a great moment. I didn’t know it would cause such a stir.”
