Culture

Serena Williams Has No Time For This Reporter’s Sass

Game, set, match.

by Tom Clift  20 January 2017

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Serena Williams was on fire at yesterday’s Australian Open, and I don’t just mean on the court. The world number two defeated Lucie Safarova in straight sets on Rod Laver Arena, but the real display came during the post-match press conference when a reporter had the nerve to talk shit about her game.

“Bit of a scrappy performance,” remarked the newsman, at this point still blissfully unaware of what was about to happen. “A few more unforced errors, a few double-faults.”

Williams, unsurprisingly, was in no mood for this man’s nonsense. “I think that’s a very negative thing to say. Are you serious?” she asked. “You should have been out there. That wasn’t very kind. You should apologise.”

At this point, I imagine the reporter was wishing he was literally anywhere else on the planet.

“That was a great performance. I played well,” asserted Williams. “She’s a former top-10 player. The last time we played together was in the finals of a Grand Slam. It’s not an easy match, she’s a really good player.”

Quick word of advice: unless you have also won 22 grand slam titles, maybe keep your observations to yourself.