Serena Williams clapped back at a Russian tennis exec who joked that she and sister Venus should be dubbed "The Williams Brothers." Find out what she said inside...
Serena Williams, who holds a record 18 Grand slam titles, has made headlines around the globe after responding to a joked she deemed "sexist and racist."
In case you missed it, Shamil Tarpischev, the head of the Russian Tennis Federation, appeared on a Russian talk show "Evening Urgant" alongside former Olympic singles champion Elena Dementieva who was asked what it was like playing against the Williams sisters. Before Elena could respond, Shamil piped in calling Serena and Venus the 'Williams brothers' and adding 'It's scary when you really look at them."
Although the comments were made in Russian, a quick translation let folks around the world know that he was being a jackass! And Shamil didn't get away with it! He was slapped with a one-year suspension by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) and ordered to pay a $25,000 fine. But it didn't end there....
Serena (shown above with Caroline Wozniacki at a WTA gathering at the Marina Bay Sands hotel in Singapore) spoke out about the Shamil's comments yesterday during a press conference for the start of the WTA Tour Finals,
'I think the WTA did a great job of taking (the) initiative and taking immediate action to his comments. I thought they were very insensitive and extremely sexist as well as racist at the same time. I thought they were in a way bullying. But the WTA and the USTA (U.S. Tennis Association) did a wonderful job of making sure that -- in this day of age, 2014 for someone with his power, it's really unacceptable to make such bullying remarks"
And Serena got a co-sign from Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova, who chimed in, "I think they were very disrespectful and uncalled for and I'm glad that many people have stood up, including the WTA, It was very inappropriate, especially in his position and all the responsibilities that he has not just in sport, but being part of the Olympic committee.'
Following the worldwide backlash, Shamil released an apology via Russia's tennis federation saying,
"Serena and Venus (Williams) are without doubts outstanding athletes. The situation that has spontaneously emerged during the late night chat show had a bad influence on the perception of tennis in general and splits our friendly and cohesive team. I'm sorry that the joke which was taken out of context and attracted so much attention."
Outside of the distractions, Serena is set to play against Ana Ivanovic today, telling reporters,"I wasn't sure if I would be able to make it to this tournament. "But I'm here, and I'm really -- I feel better than I did obviously in China. I am just getting better every day hopefully."
We sure Serena has put Shamil's comment (or as he phrased it "joke") behind her and will have a great match today. Good Luck Serena!
Watch Serena's comment here:
Photos via Serena Williams Instagram
