Serena Williams is widely regarded as the greatest women’s tennis player of all time. Even though her playing career is over, Williams made headlines once again—not for her dominance on the court, but for her electrifying dance moves at Super Bowl LIX.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion made a surprise appearance in Kendrick Lamar’s performance during the Super Bowl LIX halftime show. Williams was spotted dancing on stage during Kendrick’s legendary diss track of Drake, “Not Like Us.”
Of course, there were deeper meanings to Williams’ appearance. First, she used to date Drake over a decade ago and had a falling out with the rapper. So, naturally, she had to dance on his proverbial grave during the Super Bowl halftime show.
Second, clad in a blue ensemble and Chuck Taylor x Nike sneakers, Williams “crip walked,” which was a reference to her controversial dance after winning gold at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London at the All England Club.
After stealing the show, Williams posted a video to X where she said, “Man, I did not Crip Walk like that at Wimbledon,” she said before laughing with a scream. “Oh, I would have been FINED!”
Williams’ performance received rave reviews from current and retired tennis players. Naomi Osaka simply wrote, “Oh nooooo (three crying emojis)” because it was such a brutal takedown of Drake.
Coco Gauff chimed in, “Serena is the (goat emoji)! icon doing iconic things.” Meanwhile, men’s tennis player Christopher Eubanks wrote, “SERENA CRIP WALKINGGGGG (three crying emojis).”
Eubanks added in a follow-up post, “SW has c-walked on Centre Court at Wimbledon AND at the Super Bowl. West Coast Legend (goat emoji).”
The praise did not end there. Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev both reposted videos of Williams dancing to their Instagram stories. Also, retired tennis player and current media personality Andy Roddick added, “I WILL NEVER BE THE SAME.”
While Kendrick’s halftime show did not enjoy universal praise, Williams did garner lots of support thanks to her confidence and joy. Many fans commented on her dancing skills and multi-layered rebuff of Drake.
The Eagles won the Super Bowl, but Williams took the halftime performance. It was yet another reminder of why she remains a global icon—not just in sports but in entertainment and culture.
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