Incredible! Serena Williams was denied access to a Paris restaurant

Access denied

Serena Williams, one of the greatest tennis players in history and the bearer of the Olympic torch for Paris 2024, was denied a seat in a popular restaurant in the French capital. Was it all a big misunderstanding?

Straight to X (Twitter)

The former tennis player expressed her frustration on X (Twitter), alluding to unacceptable behavior on behalf of the restaurant.

Mentioning the location

"Yikes @peninsulaparis I’ve been denied access to rooftop to eat in an empty restaurant of nicer places but never with my kids. Always a first," shared Williams on her social media, clearly not a happy camper.

Photo: X - @serenawilliams

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A true apology

Almost two hours after launching the tweet, the restaurant offered Serena Williams a public response, justifying their actions.

Photo: Instagram - @thepeninsulaparis

All reserved

"Please accept our sincerest apologies for the disappointment. Unfortunately, our rooftop bar was full and the only unoccupied tables you saw were at our restaurant, L'Oiseau Blanc, which was fully booked," they replied.

Photo: X - @peninsulaparis

Invitation for another day

In a second tweet, they completed their apology, assuring that "it will always be an honor to receive her and she will be welcome again."

Viral story

Needless to say, the tweet has gone viral and, in just a few hours, it has exceeded 2.5 million views, collecting comments of all kinds.

Photo: Instagram - @thepeninsulaparis

Polarized users

There have been users who have attacked the restaurant due to the possible racial motive, there are those who have criticized the venue for not recognizing Serena Williams. However, some agree with the restaurant and applaud that she didn't receive any special treatment for being a famous athlete.

They didn't recognize her but...

Maxime Mannevy, an employee, told 'Variety' that the colleague who served the former tennis player did not recognize her and simply told her what they would have told any other customer: to wait at the bar until there was a table. "It was nothing personal," he assured.

An anecdote

At the moment, neither Serena Williams nor the restaurant have made any further statements, and it seems the matter will remain an uncomfortable anecdote that has, however, generated hours of debate on X.

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