Serena Williams Addresses Speculation That She Was Throwing Shade at Ex Drake During Her 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Cameo

Serena Williams is clearing the air regarding her past with Drake.

If you didn’t know, the 43-year-old pro tennis player and the 38-year-old rapper dated on and off from 2011-2015. However, in 2025, Serena joined Kendrick Lamar onstage at the Super Bowl when he rapped his hit “Not Like Us,” which is a diss track about Drake.

Now, Serena has recently shut down the chatter that her appearance was aimed at Drake specifically.

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“Absolutely not. I would never do that. And that was sad, that anyone would ever think that. I respect how they could. Obviously I can see how someone would think that. But absolutely not,” she told Time after the magazine named her one of the most influential people of 2025.

“I have never had negative feelings towards him. We’ve known him for so many years,” she added.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion also said that she “doesn’t know” if she regrets the appearance or not.

Back in February, Serena addressed claims that the halftime cameo was “petty.”