Serena Williams hosts ESPYs, croons Maria Sharapova, roasts Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, slams Harrison Butker
From dancing to Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us" to singing the insta-hit "She Could Be My Tennis Ball," the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion owned the stage.
After Jasmine Paolini and Barbora Krejcikova won on Centre Court, Serena Williams became the center of attention.
On Thursday, more than 5,000 miles away from Wimbledon, the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion hosted the 32nd ESPY Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. And though Williams retired from professional tennis at the 2022 US Open, it was clear that she'll never lose command of the spotlight.
Some of the buzz-worthy Serena segments include:
1. Her take on Kendrick vs. Drake
The tennis world has been weighing in on this beef since May, with Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka famously aligning with Team Kendrick in Rome. At the ESPYs, Serena showed her support for Kendrick (also from Compton, Calif.) with a jig and a jab.
"If I've learned anything this year, is that none of us—not a single one of us, not even me—should ever pick a fight with Kendrick Lamar," Serena said, before dancing to Lamar's hit 'They Not Like Us' and taking aim at the Toronto-based Drake.
"He will make your hometown not like you. The next time Drake sits courtside at a Raptors game...they're gonna Forrest Gump him. Seat's taken."
2. Williams scores yet another win over Sharapova
Serena vs. Maria is one of the great rivalries that wasn't—Williams won 20 of their 22 matches. So it came as no surprise that when Serena started singing "She Could Be My Tennis Ball," with Sharapova the "She," Williams would come out on top once again.
First, some context: this a lampoon of the song Jamie Foxx sang to Serena at the 2003 ESPY Awards,
Some bars from the Williams remix:
- She could be my tennis ball / She's Russian, blonde and very tall
- People said we had a feud / Which was presumptious and kind of rude >>> Besides that I beat her 20 times...
- She always gave me her best shot / We were like the guys in Challengers but way more hot
3. Serena puts bestie Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry "in their place"
"Please Harry and Meghan, try not to breathe too much tonight, because this is my night," said Williams with just a smidge of sarcasm. "I don’t want to be overshadowed by the accusations that you guys are taking up too much oxygen."
4. A funny moment with sis
Venus Williams got her time on stage too, and used it to take a sweet little swipe at her little sister.
"ESPN actually asked me to host this year, but I said no, let my little sister go ahead and host," said the five-time Wimbledon champion, "She needed the victory—it's the same thing I did at Wimbledon all those times."
Venus went 1-3 against Serena in Wimbledon finals...
5. Other highlights from the night
- Getting introduced while surrounded by...OTHER SERENAS
- SHOTS FIRED at Harrison Butker
- Dressing up with the fam ⤵️