Drake seemingly threw some subtle shade at his ex Serena Williams.
Drake, 39, took to social media to share a photo of himself and Sexyy Red posing on a tennis court. The pair donned coordinating sporty outfits while posing together, with Drake wore a white T-shirt and black athletic shorts and Sexyy Red (real name Janae Nierah Wherry) opted for a white exercise dress. Both musicians held up tennis rackets as they smiled for the camera.
“I said tennis lesson she said where’s the bracelet or the necklace,” the rapper wrote via Instagram on Tuesday, November 18, alongside a photo of him and Sexyy Red.
While many fans took to the comments section to gush over the pic one user used it as an opportunity to diss Williams, 44, writing, “Serena Williams upgrade 🔥🔥.”
Kendrick Lamar and Drake’s feud has become one of the most storied rap beefs in history, but their relationship wasn’t always so fraught with tension. Before Lamar made his major label debut with 2012’s Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, the Compton native and Drake were on good terms. Lamar made a guest appearance on Drake’s 2011 […]
Drake, for his part, “liked” the response.
Several fans were surprised to see Drake publicly liking the jab at the retired tennis player.
“He messy for liking this 😂😂,” one user responded, while another replied, “Wait why did you like this @champagnepapi 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 I’m screaming you’re so shady.”
Drake and Williams have had their fair share of ups and downs over the years. The twosome dated on and off from 2011 to 2015. During that time, Drake was spotted cheering Williams on at multiple matches. The exes did not publicly confirm their romance at the time. Drake revealed in 2024 that his 2016 song “Too Good” was about Williams.
Following their time together, Williams went on to marry husband Alexis Ohanian in 2017. Drake, for his part, was last linked to influencer Johanna Leia. Drake and Sexyy Red have not addressed their relationship status, but the pair have collaborated on multiple songs.
Earlier this year, Drake and Williams’ connection made headlines again after the Olympian made a cameo in Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show in February. Williams performed a crip walk during Lamar’s song “Not Like Us,” which is a diss track directed at Drake.
While Williams’ routine was a reference to the celebratory dance she did after winning the “Golden Slam” title in 2012, the athlete was criticized by some for seemingly getting involved in Drake and Lamar’s feud. Sports commentator Stephen A. Smith slammed the tennis champion online.
“If I’m married and my wife is going to join trolling her ex, go back to his ass,” Smith said at the time. “Cause clearly you don’t belong with me. What you worried about him for and you’re with me? Bye. Bye.”
Ohanian defended his wife in a tweet that read, “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.”
Drake has called out friends who might “stab you in the back” amid his ongoing feud with Kendrick Lamar. Drake, 37, was seen taking the mic to share his thoughts at Tyrone Edwards’ Nostalgia Party held in Toronto on Saturday, October 5. Video footage of the moment was shared via Instagram on Sunday, October 6. […]
Three months later, Williams shared that her decision to dance in Lamar’s performance was “absolutely not” a diss at Drake.
“I would never do that,” Williams said in an April interview with Time. “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.”
When asked if she regretted doing the dance, Williams confessed she was unsure.
“I don’t know if I regret it or not,” she told the outlet. “I don’t know the answer to that.”