In case you weren’t one of the millions of viewers that tuned into the 2025 Super Bowl, Kendrick Lamar headlined the Halftime Show — but his longtime beef with Drake took center stage. As many expected, Kendrick performed his hit diss track against Drake, “Not Like Us,” which includes a lyric that directly mentions former tennis pro Serena Williams. At one point during the February 9, 2025, performance, none other than Serena herself came out as a backup dancer, prompting the entire internet to wonder if Drake and Serena ever dated in the past.
Below, Hollywood Life has compiled everything we know about Serena and Drake’s past relationship.
From Compton to NOLA. @SerenaWilliams @KendrickLamar #AppleMusicHalftime pic.twitter.com/mnzuP7fJ1N
— NFL (@NFL) February 10, 2025
Did Drake Date Serena Williams?
Yes, Drake and Serena dated in the past. The retired tennis player and the hip-hop artist kept the details of their relationship private. In August 2015, a source told Hollywood Life that the athlete and the rapper had “been on a slow burn for a few months now.”
“They have known each other for years, and there has always been a spark, but the timing was off,” the source said. “Drake was always saying to her, ‘When are we going out?’ Serena never seriously thought Drake was interested in her like that though.”
When Did Drake & Serena Williams Date?
Multiple outlets reported that Serena and Drake dated sometime between 2011 and 2015. It’s unclear how long they were together.
Why Did Drake & Serena Williams Break Up?
footage of Drake making his song with Rihanna “Too Good” off Views, he reveals to his mom that it’s about Serena Williams
she responds “I gathered that” 😂
– via 100gigs pic.twitter.com/SUMZlcU4Vl
— SOUND | Victor Baez (@itsavibe) August 7, 2024
Neither Drake nor Serena has ever revealed the reason behind their breakup. However, the “Hotline Bling” rapper confirmed that his 2016 track “Too Good” was about his and Serena’s relationship. A video of Drake discussing the song surfaced on X in 2024.
“I get heavy on a couple joints, but this is more about me and Serena,” Drake said. “It’s funny because when I make songs about women, I also make songs for them. So, I know what kind of song to make. If I’m gonna talk about them, I’ll at least do them the justice of making them a song that they like. So, I know Serena very well, and I know that she’ll hear it loud and clear, but she’ll also not hate me for it because it’s lighthearted.”
The lyrics of “Too Good” aren’t as “lighthearted” as Drake claimed, though. The song describes someone that he felt was taking advantage of him.
“I’m too good to you / I’m way too good to you,” Drake raps in one verse. “You take my love for granted I just don’t understand it.”
In another verse of the track, he claims the unnamed person had “high expectations,” then he looks back on the time they had together.
“Years go by too fast / I can’t keep track / How long did we last? I feel bad for asking,” Drake raps in another verse. “It can’t end like this … And I wanna tell you my intentions / I wanna do the things that I mention / I wanna benefit from the friendship.”
Who Is Serena Williams’ Husband?
Serena has been married to her husband, Reddit co-founder Alexia Ohanian, since November 2017. They share two daughters together named Alexis Olympia Jr. and Adira River Ohanian.
