Serena Williams slams Paris restaurant after claiming they turned her and her kids away

The restaurant has responded to her claims

In a post on X, the legendary tennis player claimed she had she and her family weren’t allowed into L’Oiseau Blanc, the rooftop restaurant at The Peninsula, a luxury Parisian hotel.

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."

Her post was immediately met with support from her followers, with one person writing: "Who doesn't make room for a queen?"

Another said: "You can buy the whole damn place."

A third wrote: "Shame on them."

However, the hotel has since responded to Williams' post, saying the restaurant was in fact just fully booked on the night she turned up.

Replying to the former tennis pro, the hotel 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 honored to welcome you and will always be to welcome you again."

Williams has been in Paris in recent days after playing a key role in the Olympics opening ceremony last month.

The 23-time Grand Slam winner was a torchbearer during the ceremony, alongside the likes of fellow tennis star Rafael Nadal, athletics legend Carl Lewis, and French football icon Zinedine Zidane.

Along with her multiple major titles, Williams also won four Olympic gold medals during her career, one in the women's singes in 2012 and three in the women's doubles alongside her sister Venus in 2000, 2004 and 2008.