Two-time Olympic gold medalist Claressa Shields once accused Serena Williams of not being nice to her when they met at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. Shields lamented that the experience turned her off to the 23-time Grand Slam champion, to the point that she swore not to be like her afterwards.
Shields, who won the boxing middleweight gold at the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Olympics, admitted that Williams was one of her childhood idols and that she looked forward to meeting her for the first time in Brazil.
However, the meeting did not meet the American’s expectations, who felt upset by the unfriendly attitude Serena Williams displayed to her.
Shields even went on to say that the tennis icon seemed ‘mean’ to a lot of people at the event and that she could not stay a fan of Williams as a person after that.
“Well, one [of my childhood idols] used to be Serena Williams. She used to be. I was able to meet Serena at the 2016 Olympics. She was just not nice. For me to look up to her like I did when I was a kid and then meet her in person and see how she’s not fan-friendly, that was upsetting,” Shields said to the Detroit Free Press at Rio.
“She was kind of mean to a lot of people at the Olympics and just kind of made me not want to be like her. Because I’m different. I’m a fan of her being a great athlete, just not a fan of her as a person, if that makes sense?” she added.
Serena Williams faced early exit at the 2016 Rio Olympics
At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Serena Willaims was the defending champion, having beaten Maria Sharapova in the final of the 2012 edition. However, she faced an early exit, falling in the third round.
Williams, seeded No. 1, beat Alize Cornet in the second round but lost to Elina Svitolina in the next match in straight sets. In doubles, Williams and her elder sister Venus were the two-time defending champions but lost in the first round.
It turned out to be the final Olympic appearance for the American, as she withdrew from the Tokyo 2021 Olympics after that. She retired from tennis in 2022, playing her final tournament at the US Open and reaching the third round.
