Serena Williams and Aryna Sabalenka recently met during the grand unveiling of Casadonna - a luxurious Italian-inspired waterfront restaurant in Miami.
Serena and Sabalenka were part of a constellation of celebrities and influencers from all over the world such as Victoria Beckham, Camila Cabello, and Winnie Harlow.
Serena's best friend on the WTA Tour, Caroline Wozniacki, who recently came out of retirement to play professionally again, was among the tennis band.
Casadonna is the newest venture of David Grutman and Noah Tepperberg, two prominent names in the restaurant and nightclub business who have agreed to collaborate and bring a unique culinary experience with a vista of Biscayne Bay.
Serena, Sabalenka, and Wozniacki were in fine spirits and certainly appeared to have engaged in a chitchat and laughter. The three of them posed for pictures during the celebration with one of the co-owners David Grutman which they would share on their social media accounts.
However, Serena came under heavy criticism for cropping out Sabalenka from the jointly snapped photo. Both players posted the same photo on their Instagram accounts, and tennis fans conspicuously noted the difference.
The 23-time Grand Slam winner posted a photo dump from the event which included photos with her husband Alexis Ohanian, Wozniacki, and Grutnman. One of the photos she shared was clearly edited, and she had cropped the current WTA No. 1, and it didn't go too well with the fans in the comments section.
One fan criticized Serena for stooping too low, saying, "And where is Sabalenka?? Please don't go low again." Serena's editing skills might need some polishing judging by another fan comment which read, "On the first picture you can see Aryna's hairs."
"Even you are my big idol, but it's impolite to Sabalenka," another fan wrote. The move certainly did not sit well with another follower who could not understand the American's reasoning, saying, "Did you cut Sabalenka out of the photo? How rude, what a shame! Not only she is the best player in the world, but she is also a wonderful person. Shameful. Although that says more about you, not her."
Serena and Sabalenka only met once on tour, at the 2021 Australian Open, a contest which Williams won in three sets. The pair have a professional relationship and there was nothing frosty from that match that would suggest there was some blood between them.
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