Serena Williams claims Paris restaurant turned her and children away

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Serena Williams claimed a Michelin-starred Paris restaurant turned her and her children away despite having a number of empty tables.

The former tennis star was in the French capital for the Olympic Games after featuring as a torch bearer in the opening ceremony.

In a post shared to X, formerly known as Twitter, the 23-time Grand Slam winner claimed that she and her family weren’t allowed into the rooftop restaurant of The Peninsula, L’Oiseau Blanc.

Williams, who won four Olympic gold medals during her career, added this was the first time she’d been denied access to a restaurant while with her family.

The mother of two wrote: “Yikes @‌peninsulaparis. I’ve been denied access to a rooftop to eat in an empty restaurant of nicer places [sic] but never with my kids. Always a first.”

The restaurant responded to her complaint a few hours later, and while offering its “deepest apologies”, insisted that the unoccupied tables she saw were reserved.

In a post on X, a spokesman said: “Dear Mrs. Williams, Please accept our deepest apologies for the disappointment you encountered tonight.

“Unfortunately, our rooftop bar was indeed fully booked and the only unoccupied tables you saw belonged to our gourmet restaurant, L’Oiseau Blanc, which was fully reserved.

“We have always been honoured to welcome you and will always be to welcome you again.”

The “contemporary French gastronomy” restaurant at the luxurious hotel is located just a stone’s throw away from the Arc de Triomphe.

Williams, 42, has been in Paris since the 2024 Games began on 26 July.

She featured as a torch bearer alongside Rafael Nadal as well as nine-time medallist Carl Lewis, French icons Zinedine Zidane, Teddy Riner, Marie-José Pérec and Tony Parker.

During the Games, Williams has regularly been seen as a spectator at events including gymnastics.

She was also seen in the crowd at several tennis matches at Roland Garros, including when Novak Djokovic won the gold against Carlos Alcaraz in the men’s singles tournament.