“Disbelief and disgust”: Serena Williams' feud deepens
Serena Williams' husband has copped a lashing online after he came for a tennis star on Tuesday night.
Williams' has fought tooth and nail to get into the Australian Open semi-finals with a sensational straight sets win over Simona Halep.
Alexis Ohanian — who co-founded popular online forum Reddit — took to Twitter to call out Romanian Olympic tennis star, tournament organised and billionaire businessman Ion Tirac.
After he said Williams' should quit because of her age and weight, Ohanian wrote: “Good thing no one listens to that racist sexist (clown emoji) Ion Tiriac.”
“This is my wife. I have a platform. I have privilege. If I can use my platform + privilege to make a billionaire even a little uncomfortable about racist + sexist statements he’s made, it’s a win. Bonus is that other people will see it and reflect on it.”
Earlier this year Tiriac said of Williams: “At this age and the weight she is now, she does not move as easily as she did 15 years ago.
“Serena was a sensational player. If she had a little decency, she would retire.”
Tiriac has attacked Williams multiple times, including in 2018 when he was asked about her, saying: “With all due respect, 36 years old and 90kg …”
At the time, the 23-time grand slam champion hit back saying: “It’s an ignorant comment and it’s a sexist comment. Maybe he’s an ignorant man.”
But Tiriac’s son Alexandru didn’t take kindly to Ohanian’s insult on Tuesday night.
He took to social media to share an open letter he wrote to the tech guru.
“To Mrs Williams’ husband, I read your tweet with a mix of disbelief and disgust,” Alexandru wrote.
“The name Tiriac has a 70-year tradition in the world of sports and the gentleman you are referring to has written a few important chapters that have contributed to the book of tennis along these decades.
“From the player, to the coach, to the manager, to the tournament promoter, the respected person you are bad wording in these derogatory terms has (been) and still is, at the age of 82, one of the strongest advocates of this sport.
“The respect he has (Ion Tiriac) for Mrs. Williams is tremendous, as it should be.
Alexandru Tiriac continued by saying: “She is and will remain in history as one of the best 20-25 players who have highly contributed to this sport.
“She has a personality that has opened many doors for young generations of athletes, in all fields of sports and in all social walks of life. For that, we are very grateful to her.
“Mr Williams', the only reason I reply to your unnecessary tweet is that words are misused and misinterpreted in today’s world through the various platforms in existence.
“Free speech should not be wrongly replaced with inappropriate slander.
“As Mrs Williams’ husband, you can no longer only represent your own views when you talk about sports, but also the voice of an icon.
“It would be a real shame to cast an erroneous image on her legacy through emotional baseless tweets.”