(Video) “Check Your Own Hypocrisy” – Serena Williams Triggers Backlash For Calling out Cotton Plant in NYC Hotel

Serena Williams has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons recently.

(Video) “Check Your Own Hypocrisy” – Serena Williams Triggers Backlash For Calling out Cotton Plant in NYC Hotel

Serena Williams has invited backlash for her comments (via Telegraph)

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Serena Williams recently shared her discomfort after spotting a cotton plant being used as decoration at a New York City hotel. The 43-year-old tennis icon posted a video on Instagram Stories, asking her followers how they felt about cotton being displayed this way. She admitted that, for her, the sight didn’t sit well.

In another clip, Williams picked a piece of cotton from the plant and compared it to the kind used with nail polish remover. She then reacted with a visible shudder before walking away from the camera. The hotel where she was staying has not been identified.

Williams was in New York to support Kim Kardashian’s NikeSKIMS launch. The campaign, called Bodies at Work, featured more than 50 Nike athletes. Both Williams and sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson were among the stars of the promotional film.

The moment comes as Williams continues to face debate around her partnership with Ro, a company behind GLP-1 medications. In August, she appeared in a video where she injected herself with a weight-loss drug, saying it was what her body needed after having two children. While Williams described the decision as personal and informed, reactions online were sharply divided.

Serena Williams triggers backlash for her comments

Tennis star Serena Williams sparked a wave of online reactions after sharing her discomfort with a hotel decoration in New York City. She posted a short video on social media showing a display made with cotton plants, which quickly spread beyond her Instagram. Fans had mixed responses, with some mocking her reaction and others defending her feelings.

Serena Williams
Serena Williams (Image via X/We Are Tennis France)

The clip was soon reposted on X, where comments poured in. One person joked about whether she was also offended by cotton sheets, while another pointed out that Skims, the brand she supports, uses cotton in some of its clothing.

Others accused her of overreacting, with one saying it was unreasonable to dismiss cotton altogether. A few also noted the irony that she was wearing the very fabric she seemed uneasy about. Here are some of the reactions:

In the video itself, Williams picked a cotton boll from the arrangement and rubbed it against her nail. She then shuddered and pulled away, showing how unsettled she felt. Her reaction made the moment stand out, turning what might have been a small detail into a widely discussed topic.

The debate shows how even minor gestures from public figures can draw intense scrutiny. What began as a personal comment about décor quickly became a larger conversation online, with people questioning her stance, highlighting contradictions, or defending her right to discomfort.

Iga Swiatek joins Serena Williams by completing a huge tennis milestone

Iga Swiatek’s 2025 season has taken several sharp turns. After falling short in her French Open title defense with a semifinal exit, she rebounded in dominant fashion by winning Wimbledon and the Cincinnati Masters.

Those triumphs lifted her back to the No. 2 spot, just behind Aryna Sabalenka. Now competing at the China Open, Swiatek opened her campaign in Beijing with a one-sided win over local wildcard Yuan Yue, silencing a supportive home crowd. Despite her strong start, her push for the world No. 1 ranking remains uncertain, with Serena Williams’ historical benchmark still looming large.

Iga Swiatek
Iga Swiatek (Image via X/Jimmie48 Photography)

In her second-round match, Swiatek defeated Yuan Yue 6-0, 6-3, extending her remarkable run at the WTA 1000 level. Opta Ace highlighted her achievement, noting she has now claimed 122 wins in her first 150 matches at this tier. Only Serena Williams has done better, with 131 victories across her first 150 appearances. The comparison underscores Swiatek’s consistency and ability to dominate at the highest level of competition.

Swiatek currently holds a record of 122-28 in WTA 1000 contests, which equals an impressive 81.3% win rate. By contrast, Williams posted a 131-19 mark over the same span, though much of her career also included events under earlier Tier I and Premier categories. Even so, Swiatek’s ability to produce year after year under the newer structure highlights her sustained excellence.

Her second-round triumph also gave her a 25th WTA 1000 win of the season, building on her title run in Cincinnati. It marks the third straight year she has passed that milestone, following 27 wins in 2023 and 30 in 2024.

No other woman since the WTA 1000 format began in 2009 has won 25 or more matches in three consecutive seasons. Swiatek has now achieved that remarkable standard, further cementing her place among the sport’s modern greats.

Her consistency is unmatched—she has not lost an opening-round match at any WTA event since 2021, when Ons Jabeur upset her in Cincinnati. That streak has now stretched to 67 straight tournaments, the longest run of first-match victories by a woman since 1990.

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