Serena Williams frustrated after being ‘denied’ table at restaurant during Olympics

Serena Williams took to X yesterday (5 August) to air her frustrations with a Parisian eatery, claiming they turned her away from an 'empty restaurant'.

42-year-old Williams, a globally renowned tennis star and three-time Olympic champion, has been visiting the 2024 Paris Games to cheer people on.

She was spotted in the stands watching Serbia's Novak Djokovic versus Spain's Rafael Nadal.

But it isn't just tennis she's been seated for - Williams was also seen at the final of the women's artistic gymnastic event last Tuesday.

Sharing a video to Instagram Stories at the time, she wrote: "We're at the gymnastics having a good time, yay. I keep forgetting to film Simone and Suni and everybody because it's like crazy."

It seems that after days in the French capital enjoying the high-stakes sports competitions, Williams has been dining out in the city.

In a post on X yesterday, the Olympian shared a claim that one restaurant - The Peninsula Paris - had turned her and her children away, despite appearing empty.

She wrote: "Yikes @peninsulaparis I’ve been denied access to rooftop to eat in a empty restaurant of nicer places but never with my kids. Always a first. #Olympic2024."

The post has since gone viral, amassing thousands of reactions.

One person responded: "Glad you didn’t have to waste money there."

Another added: "How does one get denied when they are Serena Williams...... lol."

Another reply found within the comments is from the restaurant itself.

It wrote: "Dear Mrs. Williams,

"Please accept our deepest apologies for the disappointment you encountered tonight.

Yikes @peninsulaparis I’ve been denied access to rooftop to eat in a empty restaurant of nicer places 🫠 but never with my kids. Always a first. 🙄#Olympic2024 pic.twitter.com/lEGJR5WoEn

— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) August 5, 2024

"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."

A follow-up post added: "We have always been honoured to welcome you and will always be to welcome you again. The Peninsula Paris."

In further statements, it has emerged that staff didn't recognise Williams.

An employee for L’Oiseau Blanc told Variety: "When she came there were only two tables available and they had been reserved by clients of the hotel.

"My colleague didn’t recognise her and feels terrible, but he told her what he would have told any other client, which is to wait downstairs in the bar for a table to become available. That was absolutely nothing personal.”

In a statement to TODAY, The Peninsula Paris said: “In response to Mrs. Williams’ tweet, for whom we have the utmost admiration and respect, as we do for all our esteemed guests; we can only reiterate our deepest apologies for her perception of tonight’s situation.

"Today, August 5th, our rooftop bar was indeed unfortunately fully booked, and the only unoccupied tables at that time belonged to our gourmet restaurant, L’Oiseau Blanc, which was also fully reserved tonight. She has always and will always be more than welcome with her family to The Peninsula."

One person on social media simply stated: "It's Serena Williams - you make a table for her!"

LADbible Group has reached out to representatives of the Peninsula Paris for comment.