Serena Williams Hits Back At Player Who Said She Has A ‘Bad Personality’

Tennis champion Serena Williams is known for drama on the court — and sometimes off it as well, such as when a mix-up at the French Open meant that she pushed Austrian tennis ace Dominic Thiem out of his press conference. However, according to Eurosport, the 37-year-old recently said that she had discussed the kerfuffle with Thiem and that she is “too old” for such squabbles.

Williams began by explaining the confusion that occurred at Roland Garros. The tennis champ suffered a shock loss to Sofia Kenin and was expected to discuss the result in a post-match press conference.

“I asked them to put me in the small room,” the Nike model explained, adding that she “begged” the organizers for the small room.

However, the multiple grand slam winner said that the organizers instead told her to wait, at which point they decided to end Thiem’s conference. Williams said that, at the time, she made her displeasure known.

“They pulled him out. I was like, ‘You guys are so rude to do that,’ quote-unquote, that’s what I said. The next day I had a bad personality. Literally that’s what happened.”

As previously reported by The Inquisitr, Thiem said in a later interview that Williams had a “bad personality” compared to other tennis greats such as Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal. Williams couldn’t help but hit back at Thiem for those comments.

“I actually stuck up for the guy, so I don’t understand how I got a bad personality for telling them what they did was wrong to him,” she continued.

However, Williams said that she and Thiem later discussed the incident and have put the episode behind them.

“But we spoke about it. I’ve always liked him. I still like him. He’s a great player,” she explained. Thiem went on to compete in the finals at the French Open, eventually taking second place to Rafael Nadal. Thiem is currently ranked fourth in the world.

Williams added that the Austrian said that his comments about her bad personality were mistranslated, and concluded by saying that she was ready to retire from the drama.

“I’m really, quite frankly, too old to be in controversy. That’s why I just wanted to clear the air,” she said.

Williams is currently playing in Wimbledon. The tennis ace has already won 23 grand slams, and winning this tournament would tie the all-time record of 24 wins set by Margaret Court. She can also expect some support from the stands, as it has been reported that her good friend, Meghan Markle, will make an appearance to support her bestie.