Alexis Ohanian, Ion Tiriac lock horns over Serena Williams
Billionaire Director of the Madrid Open Ion Tiriac has been told to put his nose where it belongs and resist the temptation to be a racist and sexist clown.
Husband of American tennis idol Serena Williams, Alexis Ohanian dished out the warning insisted that it is not the business of the director to tell players when to retire and not to retire.
Trouble started when the Director said Serena Williams should retire ‘because of her age and weight,’ adding that she is no longer as mobile as she used to be.
“At this age and the weight she is now, she does not move as easily as she did 15 years ago. “He observed.
The tennis star’s husband, Alexis Ohanian, called Tiriac “a racist/sexist clown” in response to his comments.
Now 39 years old, Williams is ranked 11th in the world and advanced to a Grand Slam semifinal as recently as at September.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion is widely considered the greatest women’s tennis player in the history of the game. Williams is still going strong at 39 years old, as evidenced by her No. 11 world ranking and a Grand Slam semifinal appearance as recently as this fall.
But according to Ion Țiriac – the billionaire director of the Madrid Open – Williams would retire “if she had a little decency.”
The former professional tennis player and hockey star, who has since come into a vast fortune through his business ventures, openly scorned Williams on Romanian television during a recent interview. He insisted that the tennis legend should stop competing professionally because “at this age and the weight she is now, she does not move as easily as he did 15 years ago,” per Romanian publication ProSport.
Read AlsoAustralian tennis ace Graovac sells nude pix to revive career
Williams’ husband, tech guru Alexis Ohanian, was having none of it. On Twitter, the Reddit co-founder rebuked the 81-year-old, writing that it’s “safe to say no one gives a damn what Ion Țiriac thinks” before mocking his lack of Grand Slam success during his playing days.
“Had to Google it … turns out my 3 year old has more Grand Slam victories than this,” Ohanian wrote alongside a photo depicting Țiriac’s career Grand Slam win total – zero.