Serena Williams body shamed by Romanian billionaire, husband Alexis Ohanian defends her in style

Serena Williams was apparently 'body shamed' by a Romanian billionaire who said her weight and age did not allow her to move easily in Tennis.


Serena Williams

Serena Williams and her kid were earlier racially abused by former tennis player Ilie Nastase in 2017. (Image credit: Twitter)

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Written By

Edited By

Siddharth Vishwanathan

Reported by

DNA webdesk

Updated: Jan 7, 2021, 07:37 AM IST

Serena Williams is a 23-time Grand Slam champion and one of the greatest Tennis players in the history of the sport. In the last couple of years, she has stumbled in her quest for a record 24th Grand Slam title which would put her on level terms with Margaret Court. However, ever since winning the Australian Open a couple of years ago, Serena Williams has been thwarted several times in the Grand Slam semifinals or the finals. Serena Williams is now a mother but even then, she is still breaking records every single time she steps out in the court.

However, in the past, many people have given unflattering remarks on Serena Williams. In 2017, former Romanian tennis player Ilie Nastase had racially abused Serena Williams and her kid and he was forced to apologise. Now, another Romanian billionaire by the name of Ion Tiriac has reportedly 'body-shamed' her.

Speaking to a Romanian TV channel, Tiriac, who also owns the Madrid Open Tennis tournament, stated that, "At this age and the weight she is now, she does not move as easily as she did 15 years ago. Serena was a sensational player. If she had a little decency, she would retire. From all points of view."

Alexis Ohanian defends her

The 'body-shaming' comment did not go down well with many tennis fans. Serena Williams' husband, Alexis Ohanian, who is the co-founder of Reddit, tweeted that no one gives a damm to what Ion Tiriac thinks. Ohanian also said stated in another tweet, "Safe to say Serena will never play Madrid again." His criticism of Tiriac only increased when he posted a tweet stating, "Had to Google it... turns out my 3-year-old has more Grand Slam victories than this clown." This was in reference to when Olympia was still not born when Serena Williams won the 2017 Australian Open.

Alexis Ohanian stated that in 2021 that he will not back down from defending his family. This is not the first time that Serena Williams has been subject to body shaming. In 2016, Serena Williams said in an interview that people are entitled to their opinion but she has the confidence in herself.