Serena Williams shared her reaction to Drake fans calling her ‘petty’ for her cameo in Kendrick Lamar‘s Super Bowl Halftime Show performance.
The former tennis player, 43, joined Lamar on stage at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on February 9, where she notably danced to Not Like Us, Lamar’s diss track to her ex Drake — whom she previously dated over a decade ago.
Some viewers speculated that Williams’ brief cameo was shade directed at her ex considering Lamar’s beef with him.
Drake, 38, even seemingly took a swipe at her when he took to social media with a shady Instagram post on his burner account.
However, Williams has denied the allegations that her cameo and her Crip walking dance was meant to be a diss towards Drake.
After her performance, her husband Alexis Ohanian defended her on X (formerly Twitter) and Williams responded to his tweet on Sunday, February 16.
Serena Williams shared her reaction to Drake fans calling her ‘petty’ for her cameo in Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Halftime Show performance; Williams seen on February 9
The former tennis player, 43, joined Lamar on stage at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on February 9, where she notably danced to Not Like Us, Lamar’s diss track to her ex Drake — whom she previously dated over a decade ago; Lamar seen on February 9
‘Some of y’all have no idea how criticized Serena was for this same dance at Wimbledon 13 years ago and it shows…. This is bigger than the music,’ her Reddit co-founder husband tweeted.
‘That there my baby daddy and husband. Always got my back. I love you,’ she wrote in response to his message.
‘Gosh I’m so late to the game,’ she continued, adding that she has been ‘sick’ and ‘busy investing in billion dollar companies.’
‘Def not dancing to be petty lol,’ she tweeted. ‘I think I proved 23 times over (not counting 4 medals) that I simply don’t have time for petty.’
At the end of her post, she concluded with ‘all love and respect’ and ‘always nothing negative here.’
Days after addressing criticism on social media, Williams proved she’s unbothered by the trolls as she ventured on a tropical getaway.
On Monday, she took to Instagram to share a carousel of sultry snaps of herself flaunting her incredible abs as she enjoyed fun under the sun.
The 23-time Grand Slam winner modeled a chic green-and-white leaf-print bikini with a matching linen pants and headband looked unbothered and confident as she lounged poolside.
Some viewers speculated that Williams’ brief cameo was shade directed at her ex considering Lamar’s beef with him; Drake seen in 2022
![She tweeted that she 'simply [doesn't] have time for petty'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/02/19/04/95355103-14410949-She_tweeted_that_she_simply_doesn_t_have_time_for_petty_-a-77_1739940461474.jpg)
She tweeted that she ‘simply [doesn’t] have time for petty’
She also shared a collage of her photoshoot as she posed up a storm showing off he fit figure. ‘Unfiltered untouched magic at magic hour #girlstrip,’ the former athlete penned in the caption.
Later in the day, she channeled her inner goddess and posed in a daring leopard-print bikini with eye-catching cutouts and strappy detailing while in the ocean with her ‘mini me’ daughter Adira, 18-months.
She and husband Ohanian also share seven-year-old daughter Olympia.
Before the couple began dating in 2015, Williams reportedly dated Drake on/off.
The tennis icon first became romantically linked to the rapper, 38, in 2011.
Drake was frequently spotted courtside at her matches in 2011, adding fuel to the speculation. He even stirred the pot with a cheeky tweet to the tennis star.
He penned at the time, ‘@SerenaWilliams I cannot wait to put it on you and make you sweat……. during our match this weekend.’
Four years later, the Hotline Bling hitmaker attended New York Fashion Week 2015 — sitting front row aside Vogue Magazine’s Editor in Chief Anna Wintour — to support Williams.
Serena Williams, 43, turned up the heat while enjoying a swanky tropical getaway
On Monday, the former tennis player took to Instagram to share a carousel of sultry snaps of her flaunting her incredible abs
Later in the day, she channeled her inner goddess and posed in a daring leopard-print bikini with eye-catching cutouts and strappy detailing
She swam in the ocean with her ‘mini me’ daughter Adira, 18-months
‘My mini mini @adiraohanian wanted to take a dip in the ocean. I could not say no,’ she captioned the snap
The tennis player and her now-husband Alexis Ohanian kept their romance largely out of the spotlight until making things official when they announced their engagement on December 29, 2016
The pair exchanged vows in a lavish wedding on November 16, 2017
In August 2023, the pair welcomed their second daughter, Adira River Ohanian
At the time, sources close to the duo confirmed that Serena and Drake had at one point been an item, though they were no longer together.
‘Serena briefly dated Drake around 2011 and even though it didn’t end that well, they have remained friends since,’ the insider claimed.
The source also admitted at the time, ‘He has been at her side at a lot of tournaments recently, including Wimbledon in July, where he sat in her box next to her sister Venus [Williams].’
