Ivanka Trump lashed out at the Women’s Tennis Association on Thursday, after that group left Serena Williams unseeded going into the French Open.
The WTA made the decision after Williams took time off for maternity leave last year.
Trump tweeted:
This is ridiculous. @SerenaWilliams is a formidable athlete (best ever!) and loving new mother. No person should ever be penalized professionally for having a child! The #WTA should change this rule immediately. #FrenchOpen.https://t.co/W5jQ5aEUXm
— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) May 24, 2018
According to People, “Williams, 36, was ranked No. 1 when she left the pro tour last year to give birth to now-8-month-old daughter Alexis Olympia. Because of her 14-month hiatus, her ranking plummeted to No. 453, and French Open organizers announced they are following Women’s Tennis Association guidelines and declining to seed her for the high-profile tournament — her first major since the traumatic birth that nearly killed her.”
During delivery, doctors elected to perform a c-section after Williams’ heart rate fell to dangerously low levels. Complications resulting from that surgery kept the world’s greatest female tennis player laid up for six weeks of bed rest.
Going unseeded at the French Open will result in Williams facing far tougher competition in the early rounds of the tournament.
Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter @themightygwinn
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