Serena Williams was planning to cross paths with her friend Taylor Swift at the 2025 Super Bowl in February ― but she says she opted to hold off for a very relatable reason.
Speaking to Time after the outlet named her one of this year’s 100 most influential people this week, the tennis legend said she’d hoped to secure Swift’s autograph for her 7-year-old daughter, Olympia, and even waited outside of the pop superstar’s suite at New Orleans’ Caesars Superdome.
But as the game wore on and it became clear that the Kansas City Chiefs would lose to the Philadelphia Eagles, Williams decided it would be best to not bother Swift, whose longtime boyfriend, Travis Kelce, is a tight end with the Chiefs.
“I’m such a mom. I was ready to go in here myself and be like, ‘Taylor, come get this girl,’” she recalled, adding: “It’s hard when your team is losing. I totally get it.”
Williams, who made a surprise appearance during Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show, nonetheless defended Swift against the chorus of boos she received when she appeared on a jumbotron during the game.
“Why would you boo her?” she told Time. “That’s so mean. That’s just awful.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Williams shut down the implication she’d appeared at halftime to send a message to Drake, whom she briefly dated in 2011. Lamar’s set included his controversial diss track “Not Like Us,” in which he deems Drake a “certified pedophile” who should be “placed on neighborhood watch.”
“I would never do that,” she said. “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. I have never had negative feelings towards him. We’ve known him for so many years.”
Earlier this week, Drake amended his preexisting lawsuit against Universal Music Group over the song, claiming his reputation has been damaged by the label’s decision to allow Lamar to perform it at the Super Bowl.
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