Serena Williams' Hubby Defends Her Against 'Racist' Tennis Star

If you're a fan of tennis, then it's very likely that you're also a fan of Serena Williams, a woman who The Guardian called 'the greatest sportsperson ever' in 2016. She's been compared to Muhammad Ali, Pelé, Michael Jordan, Usain Bolt, and Jack Nicklaus. Frankly, she's so skilled at what she does that her impact goes way beyond her own game. That’s why it's absolutely ridiculous when anyone tries to diminish what Williams is capable of. And although she does defend herself against others' opinions, her husband, Alexis Ohanian Senior, is also fully willing to stick up for her. That's just what he did when one particular person went after Williams. In January 2021, Ohanian found out that Ion Tiriac, the owner of the Madrid Open, felt the need to share his thoughts on Williams. Earlier, in 2020, he told Romanian Public Channel: "Serena was a sensational player. If she had a little decency, she would retire. At this age and the weight she is now, she does not move as easily as she did 15 years ago." In turn, Ohanian took to Twitter to share his own stance, writing, "2021 and no holding back when a racist/sexist clown with a platform comes for my family. [...] Had to Google it... turns out my 3 year old has more Grand Slam victories. [...] Safe to say no one gives a damn what Ion Țiriac thinks." That's something that Tiriac may want to consider, especially since he has shared unprompted thoughts about Williams in the past. You may not hear a lot about his accomplishments, or lack thereof, when it comes to playing tennis — however, he seems to like to cause a buzz by sharing his opinions about the sport. Specifically, he apparently likes to criticize Serena Williams. Back in 2018, Tiriac also mentioned Williams' age and weight, according to the New York Post, saying, "I would like to see something else, I would like to see a player like Steffi Graf." Trying to pit two amazing athletes against each other based on something other than their ability on the court? Nope, not okay. In response, Williams told The New York Times that she acknowledges that, quote, "people are entitled to their opinion." But she also added, "Clearly there's more to women's tennis than me. There's a lot more, but I'll have words with him, believe me, I'll have words with him. It's an ignorant comment, and it's a sexist comment, and maybe he's an ignorant man." Game, set, match, as they say. From the sound of it, Williams' fans, as well as Ohanian's social media followers, agree with the tennis star and are fully behind the famous couple. When Serena Williams' husband decided to speak out on Twitter after Ion Tiriac’s criticisms, fans responded with enthusiastic and unwavering support for the athlete and her spouse. One user stated, "Beautifully said Mr Ohanian. Thank you for leading the way in defending your wife Serena from clowns who have nothing better to do than hate! That is all their existence consists of so they cannot see brilliance when [it's] staring them in the face! Stay strong!" Another person wrote, "You go Alexis. Most of us are tired of these people. I am glad you are able to defend your family freely when ever, and however you want. I salute you!" Someone else tweeted, "100% support for defending your beautiful wife who has suffered decades of racial slurs for [simply] existing, it's about time to silence these sort of clowns, great job." Others agreed that "enough is enough with Serena's irrelevant haters", that Tiriac's opinion was unwarranted and there was "no reason at all" for him to share it. Maybe someone should remind Tiriac that if he doesn't have something nice, correct, non-sexist, or non-racist to say, then maybe he shouldn't say anything at all. #SerenaWilliams