Watch: Serena Williams mention by Drake gets loud cheer at Nike Maxim Awards
Drake's mention of Serena Williams during Nike's Maxim Awards was met with roaring applause from the crowd.
The Canadian rapper hosted the event in Beaverton, Oregon, and mentioned some of the greatest athletes to have endorsed Nike.
"When you put things into perspective, you know, Adidas has Kanye I think. Nike, we have LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Giannis (Antekounmpou), Michael Jordan, the greatest creative mind of all time Virgil Abloh, rest in peace. We have Cristiano Ronaldo, we have Serena Williams, we have Tiger (Woods), and I'm pretty sure Reebok has Tyga. Everybody let's keep it rolling for another 50 years, my name is Drake, thank you for having me," Drake said.
The moment the 35-year-old mentioned Serena Williams' name, it was met with massive cheers. No other individual named by Drake received a louder cheer.
Drake paid tribute to Nike tonight on the brand's 50th anniversary:
"We have Cristiano Ronaldo, Serena Williams, Michael Jordan... at Reebok they have Tyga" 🥶 https://t.co/dm78TGopGk
How Serena Williams has fared this season
Serena Williams has won just three out of seven matches this season. She played her first match since being on the sidelines for a year at Wimbledon, losing to Harmony Tan in three sets.
The American then reached the second round of the Canadian Open by defeating Nuria Parrizas-Diaz 6-3, 6-4 but lost to Belinda Bencic in straight sets. She then suffered a crushing 6-4, 6-0 defeat to Emma Raducanu in the opening round of the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion shocked the world by announcing her impending retirement just before the US Open. She reached the third round at Flushing Meadows with impressive wins against Danka Kovinic and World No. 2 Anett Kontaveit. However, Williams was ousted by eventual quarterfinalist Ajla Tomljanovic in the last 32.
A match we will never forget.
Ajla Tomljanovic defeats Serena Williams in three sets. https://t.co/l4Bf3ruWqR
In her post-match press conference, Williams said that while she was "still capable" of winning tennis matches, she was looking forward to exploring a "different version of Serena."
"I don't know. I'm not thinking about that. I always did love Australia, though. But yeah, you know what, I've come a long way since last year at Wimbledon. Just not sure if that was my last moment or not. Making it a different moment I think is much better," Williams said.
"Yeah, and it takes a lot of work to get here. Clearly I'm still capable. It takes a lot more than that. I'm ready to, like, be a mom, explore a different version of Serena. Technically in the world I'm still super young, so I want to have a little bit of a life while I'm still walking," she added.