Serena Williams has revealed why she held back from securing a Taylor Swift autograph for her daughter during the 2025 Super Bowl.
The 43-year-old tennis champion told Time magazine in a new interview about the incident, saying she swerved the chance to snag the star’s signature after realising the singer was facing a tough evening as her boyfriend’s team began to fall behind.
Serena said: “I was ready to go in here myself and be like, ‘Taylor, come get this girl’.
“It’s hard when your team is losing. I totally get it.”
She added she her husband Alexis Ohanian, 41, had hoped to introduce their six-year-old daughter Olympia to 35-year-old Taylor in her private suite at the Caesar’s Superdome, where the star was watching her boyfriend Travis Kelce, 35, and the Kansas City Chiefs play.
However, as the Philadelphia Eagles widened the score gap and dimmed the Chiefs’ chances of a third consecutive championship, Serena said she decided not to disturb Swift.
The 2025 Super Bowl, held on 9 February, drew widespread attention not only for its on-field drama but also for the presence of high-profile celebrities in the crowd.
Serena also spoke about Taylor being booed by some spectators when she appeared on the jumbotron. “Why would you boo her?” she asked, adding: “That’s so mean. That’s just awful.”
Serena also reflected on the strength of her relationship with Alexis, who she married in 2017.
The couple had their second daughter, Adira, in August 2023 and she said: “My husband and I, we’re so in a different space.
“We’re so connected, we’re so in love, we’re just, like, trying to get our daughter Taylor Swift autographs. And nothing else.”
Shortly after Taylor was booed during the Super Bowl broadcast, Serena posted support for the singer on X, saying on the platform: “I love you @taylorswift13 don’t listen to those booo!!”
Serena also addressed criticism surrounding her surprise cameo in Kendrick Lamar’s halftime performance.
The 36-year-old rapper performed ‘Not Like Us’, a diss track widely interpreted as aimed at Drake, 37, who Serena briefly dated in 2011.
Her on-stage “crip walk” at the time led many to speculate she was shading the Canadian rapper.
“Absolutely not,” Serena said, dismissing the theory. “I would never do that.”
