Serena Williams Shuts Down Sexist Interview Question From Reporter

Serena Jameka Williams, the greatest tennis player of all time, does not have time for sexist interview questions. The legendary athlete made that abundantly clear during an interview with Inside Tennis reporter Bill Simons over the weekend. Their interview quickly went from bad to worse when Simons posed a lengthy, sexist question to Williams:

I have been waiting about 14 years to ask you this question. After the 2004 Wimbledon match with Maria, I had the opportunity to interview Donald Trump on his L.A. golf course, and he said that Maria’s shoulders were incredibly alluring and then he came up with his incredible analysis: that you were intimidated by her supermodel good looks. My question is: Have you ever been intimidated by anyone on a tennis court, and what are you thoughts about that occurrence?

While Williams had every right to respond to the condescending question with anger, she instead took the high road. “I honestly don’t have any thoughts about that. I can’t say I have been intimated by anyone. That’s all. That’s it," Williams replied, shutting down the sexist question while impressively managing not to roll her eyes or, you know, leave the interview. 

William's husband, Alexis Ohanian, took to Twitter later that day to slam the reporter for his, um, lackluster interview questions. “Waited 14 years … for this? Pro-top: wait at least another 14 more years before asking another question.”

Ohanian wasn't the only one to call out Simons for asking such a sexist question, either. After facing backlash for the question, the reporter took to Twitter to defend himself. "I apologize if my awkward ques seemed 2 empower Trump or attack Serena," he tweeted out to his followers. Simons avatar is currently a picture of him with Williams, which...calm down, Bill. 

While obviously frustrating, this interview isn't the most important thing on Williams' mind right now. She announced in a press conference on Monday that she'd be dropping out of the French Open due to a pectoral injury, calling the situation “extremely disappointing.” It is, indeed. 


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