Serena Williams has addressed speculation her surprise performance at the Super Bowl was a subtle dig at at her famous rumoured ex.
Williams shocked fans when she appeared midway through Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show to crip walk while he sang his Grammy-winning hit Not Like Us.
The aforementioned song is famously a diss track aimed at rapper Drake, whom Williams was rumoured to have dated more than a decade ago.
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After many speculated her cameo was shading Drake, Williams has spoken out in a new interview with TIME Magazine to confirm that was “absolutely not” the case.
“I would never do that. And that was sad, that anyone would ever think that,” the tennis champion said for the Time 100 Most Influential People of 2025 issue.
“I respect how they could. Obviously I can see how someone would think that.
“But absolutely not,” she doubled down.
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“I have never had negative feelings towards him. We’ve known him for so many years.”
For the Super Bowl, Williams wore a blue tennis skirt and shirt with Chuck Taylors while grooving to Lamar’s diss track alongside the rest of his dancers.
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Williams made headlines back in 2012 when she crip walked at the London Olympics.
Speaking of her Super Bowl moment, Williams said, “I don’t know if I regret it or not.”
“I don’t know the answer to that.”
According to multiple outlets, Williams reportedly dated Drake from around 2011.
The pair allegedly had an on-and-off relationship up until 2015.
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Drake was even spotted watching several of Williams’ tennis matches over the years.
The rapper’s 2016 song Too Good is reported to be about their relationship.
“I know Serena very well and I know that she’ll hear it loud and clear, but she’ll also not hate me for it because it’s light-hearted,” Drake said in a video talking about the song, per Lad Bible.
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Williams has been married to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian since 2017. They share two daughters.
Drake was recently in Australia for his Anita Max Win Tour in February.
However, after performing shows in Melbourne, Perth and Sydney, the rapper cancelled his remaining Australia and New Zealand dates in March due to a “a scheduling conflict”.
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