SERENA Williams said she and her sister Venus have received a written apology from the head of the Russian tennis federation after he caused a storm by calling them the “Williams brothers”.
Williams said Shamil Tarpischev, who has been fined $US25,000 ($28,596) and banned for a year by the Women’s Tennis Association over the remarks he made on a TV chat show, had “reached out” over the controversy.
“He has reached out to apologise to both myself and my sister,” she said at the WTA Finals in Singapore, after her 6-1 6-1 win over Eugenie Bouchard.
“It was written. No, I did not speak to him.”
Williams had earlier slammed Tarpischev’s comments, which also earned a strongly worded rebuke from WTA chief Stacey Allaster and condemnation from Russia’s world No 2 Maria Sharapova.
“His comments, I thought, were very insensitive, I thought they were extremely sexist as well as racist at the same time, and I thought they were in a way bullying,” Williams said on Sunday. Tarpischev, a vastly experienced coach and administrator, has also issued a public apology for his remarks but he insisted his “joke” did not merit the attention it has received.
The controversy cast an unwanted shadow over the start of Williams’ Finals campaign, which remains hanging in the balance following her stunning 6-0 6-2 defeat to Simona Halep on Wednesday.
Despite yesterday’s strong recovery against Bouchard, the defending champion still needs Halep to win at least a set in her final group match against Ana Ivanovic if she is to reach the last four.
But Williams insisted she wouldn’t “stress out” over her fate — and may go and watch a Mariah Carey concert rather than see whether Halep can help her into the semi-finals tonight (AEDT).
