Serena Williams enjoys Super Bowl with family, dances around with daughter Olympia
Like millions around the world, Serena Williams enjoyed watching the Super Bowl in the company of her family. The 23-time Grand Slam champion had the time of her life on Sunday together with husband Alexis Ohanian, the pair's four-year-old daughter Olympia, and Alexis' parents, Anke and Chris Ohanian.
The Los Angeles Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI to win their first Super Bowl as a Los Angeles-based team. Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp, who scored the game-winning touchdown, was named the MVP.
THE @RAMSNFL ARE SUPER BOWL LVI CHAMPIONS! #SBLVI #RAMSHOUSE https://t.co/PueeR6DfhA
Before kickoff, Dwayne Johnson, popularly known as 'The Rock', initiated the pre-match team introductions with characteristic enthusiasm. Fans from all over regarded it as one of the best introductions the Super Bowl has ever seen, a sentiment Williams agreed with as well.
The American took to Instagram to reveal how hyped she was after hearing 'The Rock' perform. She also tagged Johnson's Instagram account in the video, inviting him to do the same at her next match.
"Man, the Rock got me out here wanting him to warm me up for my practice!" Williams wrote. "Yes, come out to my practice and do that. Definitely at my next match."
EPIC SUPER BOWL OPENING BY THE ROCK 🔥
(via @NFL)
https://t.co/EpqmlyKhJ0
The 40-year-old followed it up with a short video of herself exercising animatedly to show how excited she was after hearing his speech.
"After hearing that opening by 'The Rock,'" Williams captioned the video.
The coin-toss for the Super Bowl was done by tennis legend Billie Jean King, who was selected by the NFL in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Title IX's passage. Serena Williams posted a short clip of King tossing the coin, remarking at how "awesome" it was to see a fellow tennis player being honored in such a manner.
"Hey Billie! Wow this is pretty awesome." Williams said.
One of the most anticipated ads that ran during the event was from Michelob Ultra, featuring Serena Williams. The commercial from the beer brand also featured other prominent names such as Hollywood actor Steve Buscemi, USWNT star Alex Morgan and football quarterback Peyton Manning.
BREAKING: Michelob ULTRA continues $100M commitment to support gender equality in sports with new #SuperBowl spot starring:
Serena Williams
Peyton Manning
Nneka Ogwumike
Brooks Koepka
Alex Morgan
Jimmy Butler
https://t.co/RS0IlnhjFX
The former World No. 1 captured the moment the advertisement came on, especially the part where she made her grand appearance. Olympia could not contain her glee at watching her mother appear on the screen and yelled out "Mommy! That's you!" as Williams continued to laugh in the background.
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Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Dr. Dre, Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent, and Snoop Dogg perform during the Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show.
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The half-time show at this year's Super Bowl was performed by Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Eminem among others, and even featured a surprise appearance by 50 Cent. Serena Williams thoroughly enjoyed that part of the night and busted out the dance moves alongside the rest of her family.
Olympia was particularly thrilled with Mary J. Blige's performance, while the 23-time Grand Slam champion was partial to Lamar's. Anke and Chris, meanwhile, were enchanted by Eminem's rendition of Lose Yourself.
Serena Williams is slowly on her way to making a return to the WTA tour
Serena Williams last played a competitive tennis match more than seven months ago at the 2021 Wimbledon Championships. A hamstring injury she sustained during her first-round encounter and the subsequent recovery process have caused her to miss the last two Grand Slams. As a result of her lack of playing time, the 40-year-old has fallen all the way down to No. 242 in the WTA rankings.
In good news for fans, the former World No. 1 revealed in a recent interview that she has returned to fitness training. She further added that she could start tennis training soon, once her fitness levels allow her to do so.