Serena Williams plays tennis at the 2017 Australian Open. Source: Shutterstock

Things We Saw Today: Fans Aren’t Happy About the French Open’s Treatment of Serena Williams Post-Baby

This article is over 6 years old and may contain outdated information

Recommended Videos

Serena Williams, the greatest athlete in the world, had a baby in September and now her ranking has gone from 1 to 453 after fourteen months of not playing. In what is being called a sexist and biased act on the part of the World Tennis Association and French Open organizers, Williams was not seeded for the tournament she has won three times in the past (meaning she will have to play top seeds first).

There’s no doubt in my mind Williams will still be amazing, as she always has been in the fact of adversity, challenges, and discrimination, but this is a ridiculous call. The woman won the Australian Open while eight weeks pregnant! Even Ivanka Trump called out the tournament, tweeting, “No person should ever be penalized professionally for having a child!” A petition titled “Serena Williams Is Being Punished for Having a Baby” can be signed here. (via The Root)

Yeah, that sounds about right.


Oof: Solo has fallen a bit short of box office expectations, making it the weakest opening of any Star Wars movie ever. Don’t let that put you off though, Kaila found it to be a fun thrill. (via CBR)

  • Wanna own an original piece of the Death Star? Ebay is auctioning off a pretty nifty piece. (via io9)
  • James Gunn and Ryan Reynolds are teasing a Deadpool CBRand Guardians of the Galaxy crossover? (via )

I am v into this King Lear trailer with Anthony Hopkins as Lear, and a cast that includes Emma Thompson, Emily Watson, Jim Broadbent, Florence Pugh, Tobias Menzies, Jim Carter, and Christopher Eccleston. It is one of my favorite roles to watch older British actors play, with my preferred King Lear being Simon Russell Beale. If you have strong King Lear opinions, please send them directly to me. (via Indiewire)

What did you see today, folks?

(image: Shuttershock/Leonard Zhukovsky)

Want more stories like this? Become a subscriber and support the site!

The Mary Sue has a strict comment policy that forbids, but is not limited to, personal insults toward anyone, hate speech, and trolling.—


The Mary Sue is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy