Serena Williams’ Popularity Questioned by Paris Restaurant in Latest Revelation

Tennis great Serena Williams’ Paris trip got a little uneasy when she was denied entry into a restaurant in the city. Naturally, the incident didn’t sit well with the 23-time grand slam champion who immediately went public with the news on X.

On Monday, Serena took to her X account to inform everybody about her unpleasant experience at a luxury hotel in Paris. Sharing an image of the hotel, Serena explained how, in an unprecedented turn of events, she was not allowed entry to the rooftop cafe.

Although the hotel was quick to reply with an apology, a staff member insisted that the American tennis star was unrecognizable when she came to the establishment, putting a big question mark on her popularity in the city. A staffer, who was not present at the hotel during the incident, narrated the information he received from his coworker to Variety, saying,

“When she came there were only two tables available and they had been reserved by clients of the hotel. My colleague didn’t recognize her and feels terrible, but he told her what he would have told any other client, which is to wait downstairs in the bar for a table to become available. That was absolutely nothing personal.”

Meanwhile, in her Tweet, Serena condemned the Parisian establishment, The Peninsula, for not granting her access to the rooftop to eat with her kid. Disappointed, she also talked about how this was the first time that she wasn’t allowed to eat at a restaurant.

“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. #Olympic2024,” wrote Serena in her tweet.

The hotel immediately took remedial measures and issued a quick apology to the tennis GOAT on Twitter. They further clarified that the only reason she was not allowed to access the rooftop was the unavailability of vacant seats as the place was fully occupied.

“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,” wrote the hotel.

However, this brings another issue to light, does Serena feel she is entitled and hence should be given special treatment everywhere? The nonavailability of seats at the restaurant explains why the hotel staff did what they did and hence, there was nothing wrong about it. But is Serena making an issue out of it justified?

Unfortunately, the tennis star’s furious reaction didn’t sit well with fans, most of whom felt that Serena was misusing her privilege. In fact, some even accused her of acting extremely entitled and disrespecting the other patrons.

In recent years, Serena’s influence has grown out of sports and she has also retained some hold over fashion and a few other industries around the globe. Yet, she is seen more as an American icon than an international one since her impact on the American audience is higher. This raises the question of whether it is justified for her to ask for entitlement everywhere she steps.