Alexis Ohanian is known for coming to the aide of his famous spouse whether she wants his help or not.
In the sports world, there has been a small sampling of athletes throughout the years that have truly become iconic. For example, people like Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali, Wayne Gretzky, Usain Bolt, Tom Brady, Tiger Woods, and the Williams sisters have cemented their legacies as absolute legends. Of course, just because those athletes can rest assured they will go down in history as all-time greats, that doesn’t mean that their lives are easy.
In the years since Serena Williams became a superstar, she has been forced to overcome a lot. For example, Serena has to cope with the pressures of competing against her sister Venus, random people judging her diet, and so much more. On the bright side, it has become clear that Serena doesn’t have to go through everything on her own. After all, Serena’s husband has proven that he is willing to come to her defense in a very public way in the past.
Why Did Serena Williams’ Husband, Alexis Ohanian, Had A Feud With Ion Tiriac
In the world, there are millions of people who care deeply about sports. Fortunately for them, there are more avenues to follow the sports world than at any other time in the past. After all, sports talk is a staple of the radio, ESPN remains a television powerhouse, and there are countless places to discuss sports on the internet. As a result of all the coverage that sports get, athletes like Williams make a lot of money from endorsement deals which is a good thing for them. On the other hand, they also have to become used to dealing with the slings and arrows that people throw at them.
Even though dealing with criticism is a given for professional athletes, sometimes the comments made about sports stars cross over a line. Unfortunately for Serena Williams, anyone who has followed her career will know that she has to deal with that far too often. For example, when Willams was asked if she was “intimidated” by an opponent’s “supermodel looks”, many people took the question as disrespectful for obvious reasons.
As annoyed by that question as fans were, the comments that Romanian businessman and former tennis player Ion Tiriac has made about Serena Williams are what truly outraged her husband. For example, in 2018 Tiriac was asked about Williams and even though she is an absolute legend, his first instinct was to body shame her. “With all due respect. 36 years old, weighs 90 kilograms. I would also like something different for women.” When asked about that comment, Williams didn’t mince words. “I’ll talk to him, believe me, I’ll talk to him,” she promised. “His comment is unqualified and sexist – and maybe he’s an ignorant man.”
Amazingly enough, Ion Tiriac went on to call Serena Willaims out again after that when he remarked she “does not move as easily as she did 15 years ago due to her age and weight”. Still not through, Tiriac went on to say of Williams, “if she had a little decency, she would retire”.
Based on Ion Tiriac’s comments about Serena Williams, her husband Alexis Ohanian began a feud with the businessman and former tennis player. In 2021, that feud crescendoed when Ohanian took to Twitter to call Tiriac out in a trio of posts. “Safe to say no one gives a damn what Ion Țiriac thinks.” “Had to Google it… turns out my 3 year old has more Grand Slam victories than this 🤡🤡” “2021 and no holding back when a racist/sexist clown with a platform comes for my family.”
Alexis Ohanian Called Out The Herald Sun’s Editor
At this point in Serena Williams’ life and career, it should be clear to everyone that she doesn’t need anyone to fight her battles. However, it still must feel nice for her when someone she loves sticks their neck out to defend her.
After Serena Willaims lost in the finals of the 2018 US Open to Naomi Osaka, she came under a lot of criticism for her behavior during the match. While debating Williams’ behavior was fair, some people took their criticism of her in deeply offensive directions. For example, Mark Knight drew a cartoon about Williams that was published by the Herald Sun which was extremely controversial, to say the least.
In response to the cartoon controversy, Serena Williams’ husband Alexis Ohanian tweeted calling out the Herald Sun’s editor since he allowed it to be published. “I am truly perplexed to learn this editor of the Australian newspaper behind the blatantly racist & misogynistic cartoon of my wife is a “Male Champion of Change” Is this supposed to be satire, too?”
