Let Serena Williams be a reminder that not everything centers men.
In February, the 23-time Grand Slam champion stunned more than 133 million live viewers with her surprise appearance during Kendrick Lamar’s record-breaking Super Bowl halftime show. And though that performance happened to coincide with the biggest moment within the biggest rap feud in years, Williams is crip walking right past the mess.
In a recent Time Magazine interview , Williams (the tennis icon made the Time100 list) explained the motive behind her Super Bowl appearance, where she crip walked to “Not Like Us.” And despite the viral beef between Kendrick and Drake, she says her reasoning had nothing to do with shading Drake. She saw it as an opportunity to celebrate how renowned a little girl from Compton had become during the biggest night on television.
“Who would have thought that a tennis player from Compton would be regarded as one of the best tennis players of all time?” she told the outlet. “It was just putting an exclamation on it.” Williams also noted that her and Kendrick had been trying to collaborate in something for a while.
To be fair, it’s understandable why audiences immediately thought Williams was joining the Drake hate train. The two were rumored to have dated in the early 2010s and Drake has a habit of writing music about the women in his life. The superstar rapper admitted that Williams inspired “Too Good,” which features Rihanna. The Toronto rapper called her husband, Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian, a groupie on his song “Middle of the Ocean.” And on “Not Like Us,” Kendrick defends Williams, saying Drake “better not ever speak on Serena.”
Even so, Williams told Time that she “would never” throw shade at Drake, who just filed a new defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group regarding his rival’s Super Bowl performance. “Obviously I can see how someone would think that. But absolutely not. I have never had negative feelings towards him. We’ve known him for so many years.”
And that, people, is called a graceful answer. But the grace Williams has shown hasn’t always been reciprocated.
Obviously I can see how someone would think that. But absolutely not. I have never had negative feelings towards [Drake]. We’ve known him for so many years.
serena williams to time magazine
Many people forgot how hard media and sports institutions alike made it on Williams. After winning gold at Wimbledon in 2012, the Compton native crip walked to celebrate. Critics accused her of glorifying gang violence with the dance.
She faced widespread backlash afterwards. That was a direct result of misogynoir and ignorance. Williams used the dance in 2012 as a celebratory nod to her roots. Critics used that moment as an attempt to minimize her joy.
Williams bringing the dance back in 2025 felt like a redemption, in a sense. But the bigger picture went over some folks’ heads.
I get it. We all love a good messy moment. But this male drama doesn’t involve the G.O.A.T.
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