Serena Williams Disappointed After Being Denied a Table at Paris Restaurant

Serena Williams took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to share her disappointment after being denied a table at a fine dining restaurant in Paris. The retired tennis legend revealed that The Peninsula Hotel refused to accommodate her and her two children, Alexis Olympia Jr., 6, and Adira River, 11 months, at their rooftop restaurant.

“Yikes @PeninsulaParis I’ve been denied access to the rooftop to eat in an empty restaurant of nicer places but never with my kids,” Williams, 42, expressed in her post. She added, “Always a first. #Olympic2024.”

The Peninsula Hotel was quick to respond to the four-time Olympic gold medalist. In their first reply on Monday, the restaurant stated, “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.”

In a second post, they further assured her of their respect and admiration, stating, “We have always been honoured to welcome you and will always be to welcome you again. The Peninsula Paris.” Williams is currently in Paris for the Olympics. At the opening ceremony held on July 26, she served as a torchbearer alongside other athletes. Since then, the 23-time Grand Slam winner has been attending various Olympic events, including the match where Novak Djokovic defeated Carlos Alcaraz to win gold in the men’s singles tournament.

Maxime Mannevy, an employee at L’Oiseau Blanc, shed light on the situation in an interview with Variety. Mannevy, who wasn’t working at the time of the incident, explained that Williams arrived at the restaurant with another woman and a stroller but was not recognized by the staff.

“When she came, there were only two tables available, and they had been reserved by clients of the hotel,” Mannevy said, noting that his colleague “feels terrible” about the misunderstanding.

The Peninsula Paris also released a statement to TODAY, reiterating their apologies. “In response to Mrs. Williams’ tweet, for whom we have the utmost admiration and respect, as we do for all our esteemed guests; we can only reiterate our deepest apologies for her perception of tonight’s situation,” the statement read.

Serena Williams, who retired from tennis after an illustrious career, has won four Olympic gold medals, including one in women’s singles and three in women’s doubles with her sister Venus. (Agencies)

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