Serena Williams criticized a Paris hotel for refusing her and her family entry to its rooftop restaurant.
“Yikes @peninsulaparis,” she posted on X Monday. “I’ve been denied access to the rooftop to dine at empty restaurants in nicer places, but never with my kids. Always a first. #Olympic2024. You’re Really Gonna Reject Me?!?!”
The 42-year-old tennis champion also shared a photo of The Peninsula’s sign along with the message.
Many fans accused the hotel of racism following the incident.
“You should claim racism and get someone fired,” one person wrote, while another noted, “It doesn’t matter how much money you have. Racism doesn’t care bro”.
However, not everyone supported Williams, with some criticizing her for behaving like an entitled “celebrity.”
“BREAKING NEWS: Celebrity told ‘no,’” one user commented, while another wrote, “I’m a celebrity, kick a regular person out so I can eat.”
Hours later, the hotel responded with a comment, explaining that they were indeed fully booked despite appearances.
“Dear Mrs. Williams,” they wrote in response. “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.”
Williams, her husband, Alexis Ohanian, and their daughters, Olympia, 6, and Adira, 1, have been in Paris for the 2024 Olympic Games.
The retired athlete took part in the opening ceremony’s torch relay.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion joined other sports stars like Rafael Nadal, Carl Lewis, and Nadia Comaneci. She was seen at Novak Djokovic’s victory over Carlos Alcaraz in the men’s tennis singles final.
Regarded as the greatest female tennis player ever, Williams is no stranger to the Olympics, having secured four gold medals.
She and her sister Venus clinched gold in women’s doubles at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and the 2012 London Olympics. Her sole singles gold was at the London games.
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