Serena Williams has spoken, and her message rings loud and clear.
The women’s world No. 1 responded Monday to former men’s No. 1 Ilie Nastase, who was overheard making a “joke” about Williams’ pregnancy last Friday. The Romanian, commenting on the race of Williams’ unborn baby, was quoted as saying, “Let’s see what color it has. Chocolate with milk?”
Williams, who is black, is expecting her first child with fiancé and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, who is white, this fall.
“It disappoints me to know we live in a society where people like Ilie Nastase can make such racist comments towards myself and unborn child, and sexist comments against my peers,” she wrote in a message posted to her Instagram. “I have said it once and I’ll say it again, this world has come so far but yet we have so much further to go. … This or anything else will not stop me from pouring love, light and positivity into everything that I do. I will continue to take a lead and stand up for what’s right.”
Williams ended by quoting a Maya Angelou poem, titled “Still I Rise,” and by thanking the International Tennis Federation for investigating the intent behind Nastase’s words.
The ugly scene kicked off a weekend of outrageous conduct by Nastase, Romania’s Fed Cup captain, who was ejected at a match against Great Britain on Saturday for unleashing a curse-filled, misogynistic tirade on players and officials. The ITF has since suspended the 70-year-old from all of its events until further notice.
While Nastase remains unashamed of his actions over the weekend — “I don’t regret it, and they can send me to prison if they want. I don’t care,” he later said, insisting both that he’s friends with Williams and that his remarks weren’t racist — Williams has the support of several high-profile figures, including Martin Luther King Jr.’s daughter, Bernice, and retired tennis player James Blake.
Williams, 35, plans to return to competitive tennis in 2018 after the birth of her child, to whom she wrote a heartfelt note early Monday. After defeating older sister Venus in the Australian Open final in January for the 23rd Grand Slam title of her career, Williams moved within one of the all-time record.