*Serena Williams is clearing the air after her surprise appearance in Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show sparked fan theories about her relationship with Drake.
Many speculated her cameo, where she briefly crip walked during the performance, was a subtle dig at Drake, her ex and Kendrick’s lyrical rival. But in a new TIME Magazine cover story, Williams set the record straight.
She explained that her involvement had nothing to do with Drake. “Absolutely not,” she said when asked if it was meant as shade.
“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. I have never had negative feelings towards him. We’ve known him for so many years.”
According to Williams, her connection to Kendrick made the moment more natural than it appeared.
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“We’ve been trying to do something together for ages,” she said of their longstanding relationship. She was both surprised and honored to be asked, joking, “I’m not Taylor Swift, let’s be honest. I would have a better chance to be quarterback at the Super Bowl than dance.”
Her Compton roots also helped the appearance make sense, especially since Kendrick name-dropped her in “Not Like Us” with the line, “N*gga better not speak on Serena.” Still, the tennis champion emphasized her role wasn’t part of the rapper feud narrative.
To ease her nerves before stepping on the world’s biggest stage, Williams admitted to taking a couple of tequila shots. Ultimately, she saw the moment as a proud tribute to her hometown.
“Who would have thought that a tennis player from Compton would be regarded as one of the best tennis players of all time?” she reflected. “It was just putting an exclamation on it.”
Read Serena Williams’ TIME interview here.
READ MORE FROM EURWEB.COM: Serena Williams Reveals Kendrick Lamar Requested Her Crip Walk Performance
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