Tennis fans were shocked when Australian pro tennis player Dominic Thiem accused women’s superstar Serena Williams of having a “bad personality.”
Thiem was outraged when his post-match press conference was interrupted by officials who wanted him to make way for Williams to speak to the press after losing her tennis match.
Thiem was instructed to vacate the main press room to make way for Williams, who had just lost her match.
Thiem was livid.
“I don’t really get it, seriously. I mean, what the hell? No, but it’s a joke, really. I have to leave the room because she’s coming?” Thiem reportedly said in anger.
“What’s my point of that? I have to leave the room because she’s coming. Well I’ll leave also then. I can also do whatever I want.”
Tournament director Guy Forget apologized to Thiem for making him leave the room.
“Actually, I wasn’t angry or frustrated. Maybe for a couple of minutes or so. It is just the principle,” he later told Eurosport Germany. “It doesn’t matter, if it is me who sits in there. I still made a wrong statement. I said that I am not a junior anymore. But even if a junior is in there, every player has to wait,” he said.
He specifically blamed Serena for always demanding special treatment from tournament officials.
“It is a matter of course. It also shows a bad personality in my opinion. I am 100% sure [Roger] Federer or [Rafael] Nadal would never do something like that,” he added.
Serena and Naomi Osaka, the 2018 US Open champ, were both ousted in round 3 of the 2019 French Open tennis tournament.
The 37-year-old Compton native was eliminated in the third round by 20-year-old American player Sofia Kenin. Earlier in the day, the No. 1 seed Naomi Osaka was ousted 6-4, 6-2 by 42nd ranked player Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic.
Photos by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images, Philippe Lopez/AFP/Getty Images
