Legendary Tennis Player Serena Williams Denied Service at French Restaurant
Serena Williams has voiced her outrage over an incident at a high-end restaurant in Paris, France, where the former American tennis star claims she was denied entry.
The 43-year-old tennis legend took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to accuse the L’Oiseau Blanc restaurant, located in the Peninsula Hotel in Paris, of refusing to seat her and her children, Alexis Olympia Jr. (7 years old) and Adira River (11 months old), despite the restaurant not being at full capacity.
Williams shared a photo of the five-star hotel’s nameplate with her 10.3 million followers, stating: “Oh my God! My kids and I were turned away from the rooftop restaurant for a meal despite it being almost empty. This has never happened to me before, it’s a first, and it’s shocking.”
The Peninsula Hotel promptly responded to Williams’ accusations: “Dear Mrs. Williams, please accept our deepest apologies for the disappointment you experienced this evening. Unfortunately, our rooftop bar was fully booked, and the empty tables you saw were reserved in advance. We are always honored to welcome you and your family back again.”
Maxime Mannevy, an employee at the restaurant, explained to Variety that Williams was not recognized when she arrived with another woman and a stroller. “When she arrived, there were only two empty tables, both reserved by hotel guests. My colleague did not recognize her and felt very bad about it, but he told Serena the same thing he would tell any other customer – to wait at the bar downstairs until a table was available. There was absolutely nothing wrong with that.”
Serena Williams arrived in Paris at the end of July, just before the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympics, where she had the honor of carrying the torch alongside superstars such as nine-time Olympic gold medalist sprinter Carl Lewis, French football legend Zinedine Zidane, and outstanding tennis player Rafael Nadal.
