Her future will be one of the big topics of the new tennis season. American Serena Williams will be celebrating her fortieth birthday in September, but she is still playing and thinking about winning a record 24th grand slam. Former Romanian tennis player Ion Tiriac is probably the world’s number one thorn in the side.
Last year, the tennis player did not manage much in the pandemic season. She played six tournaments in all, but won one in Auckland and reached the semifinals at the US Open. She finished the year as the 11th player in the world, who is still able to beat anyone.
But Ion Tiriac sees it differently. “At this age and with such weight, he is no longer moving as easily as he did fifteen years ago,” the former Romanian tennis player dug into the 39-year-old star in an interview with TVR.
Tiriac is currently the director of a clay company in Madrid and was asked by journalists about the future of the player, who, together with her sister Venus, is the oldest tennis player on the circuit.
“Serena was sensational, but if we consider all the circumstances, if she had at least a drop of decency, she would have retired from sports,” said the third richest Romanian today.
Safe to say no one gives a damn what Ion Țiriac thinks.
— Alexis Ohanian Sr. 7️⃣7️⃣6️⃣ (@alexisohanian) January 4, 2021
The statements of the 81-year-old legend suddenly became a hit on the Internet and social networks. The tennis player herself ignored them, but her husband Alexis Ohanian hurried in with a reaction. “It’s safe to say that no one cares what Ion Tiriac thinks,” he wrote on Twitter.
He points out that this is not the first time that a well-known billionaire has introduced himself to the younger of the Williams sisters. He had allusions to her physical disposition two years ago, when Serena was returning from maternity leave.
“With all due respect to her, she is 36 and weighs about 90 kilos, I don’t want to look at it, I would rather watch tennis players like Steffi Graf,” Tiriac attacked the American character at the time.
Williams then did not take napkins. “Believe me, I’ll talk to him about it. His statements are ignorant and sexist,” she said.
Either way, it is clear that the wishes of the former eighth player in the world will not be fulfilled. The American player expects to start the 2021 season at the latest in February at the postponed Australian Open.
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