"Federer or Nadal would never do that" - When Dominic Thiem slammed Serena Williams' 'bad personality' after getting kicked out of French Open presser

Dominic Thiem once got into a row with Serena Williams after getting kicked out of his press conference at the 2019 French Open to make way for the American.

Thiem, seeded No. 4 in Paris that year, was addressing the media following his third-round win over Pablo Cuevas when he was asked to leave the room. The reason for this, as given to the Austrian by the organizers, was that Williams was about to speak to the press reporters.

Unlike Thiem, Serena Williams had lost her third-round clash at Roland Garros, falling to Sofia Kenin in straight sets. Dominic Thiem was understandably furious and stormed out of the room after calling the move a "joke."

Speaking to Eurosport Germany afterwards, Thiem admitted that he was angry for a few minutes, but only on principle. In his opinion, no one, not even a junior player, deserved to be treated like that.

The-then No. 4 proceeded to lambast Williams, saying that she showed her "bad personality" by not waiting for her turn and that Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal would have never done what she did.

"Actually, I wasn’t angry or frustrated. Maybe for a couple of minutes or so. It is just the principle. It doesn’t matter, if it is me who sits in there. I still made a wrong statement. I said that I am not a junior anymore," Dominic Thiem said.

"But even if a junior is in there, every player has to wait. It is a matter of course. It also shows a bad personality in my opinion. I am 100% sure Federer or Nadal would never do something like that," he added.

"I understand Dominic Thiem's frustration" - Roger Federer on the Austrian getting kicked out of French Open press conference for Serena Williams

Thiem at the 2023 US Open, Day 3

Speaking at his own press conference after that, Roger Federer sided with Dominic Thiem in the row, emphasizing that the winner on the day should get priority when it comes to these matters.

Seeing as Thiem had to play a match the following day while Williams had more time on her hands, Federer was of the opinion that the tournament organizers were clearly in the wrong.

"Something went wrong for this to happen. There's always a way to go, that the one who is still in the tournament gets priority. If I would have lost today against (Leonardo Mayer) I would let him go first or decide when he wants to go to press as he's got a next match. I understand Dominic's frustration. For him it's just about how in the world did this happen," Federer said.