Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian claps back at reporter who called his wife 'baby'
Alexis Ohanian is not letting anyone disrespect his wife. The internet entrepreneur shut down a rude journalist who called his wife “baby,” and fans gave him their total support. After stepping down from the French Open, Serena has been enjoying some family time.
Serena Williams, like many other female athletes, has encountered many critics through her tennis career, but the worldwide champion recently faced an unprofessional journalist who crossed a line.
On June 2, hours before her fourth-round match against rival Maria Sharapova, the 23-times Grand Slam champion announced in a press conference she was stepping down from the French Open because of a pectoral injury. Days before, Serena did an interview for Inside Tennis that left fans, and her husband, with a bitter taste.
The article, taken down already, was written by reporter Bill Simons, a self-declared fan of the star, and who crossed the line of Serena’s trust, twice.
In a screen capture of the article, made by Twitter user Jeff Donaldson, we can read an excerpt of the interview in which Simons called Serena “baby,” as if they were the best of friends, and offended her with a question that he had allegedly waited 14 years to ask.
“We’re in this together, baby,” said the reporter to the star, referring to the fact that they needed to end the interview quickly so she could go back to her daughter, Olympia, to which Serena replied “No, we’re not; you’re not going home to a screaming baby.”
The question that plagued Simons for years involved Russian player Maria Sharapova and president Donald Trump.
The reporter told Serena a story about how after her Wimbledon match against Maria back in 2004, Trump came up to the conclusion that the Russian’s “good looks” had intimidated Williams in the tennis court. “My question is: Have you ever been intimidated by anyone on a tennis court, and what are your thoughts about that occurrence?” he added.
Serena, always the posed and classy woman, was not amused by the question, and just answered:
“I honestly don’t have any thoughts about that. I can’t say I have been intimidated by anyone. That’s all. That’s it.”
Fans who got to read the excerpt were offended in Serena’s name, and because the Internet is quick, the article reached Alexis Ohanian’s eyes. The man didn’t think twice to call out the journalist, as he quoted the report and wrote:
“Waited 14 years... for this? Pro-top: wait at least another 14 more years before asking another question.”
Serena’s fans immediately showed Ohanian their support with Tweets like:
Bill Simons apologized for his “awkward questions” on Twitter, and stated that he didn’t mean to “empower Trump or attack Serena.” His apology was not accepted by Serena’s fans, who believe the reporter should apologize to the tennis player face to face and on a public event.
Despite her forced retirement from the French Open, Williams is expected to join Wimbledon in a couple of weeks, and meanwhile, the tennis superstar has been busy spending time with her adorable nine-months-old daughter, Alexis Olympia, and working on her other business adventures.
Her clothing line "Serena" has been on demand the last few days, and always the entrepreneur, Williams has been promoting the brand all over social media with the help of some of her famous friends.
One thing is for sure and is that Serena can always count with her husband and her fans to stand up for her, even when she has proven she can do that by herself, is good to know that her family has her back.