Beyonce Knowles honored Serena Williams before she enters the next phase of her career with a touching ad where she celebrated the tennis pro’s many achievements and “love.” The Gatorade commercial featured tons of highlights from Serena’s career (as well as other inspiring women), as she prepares for her final time competing in the U.S. Open.
While Serena, 40, is one of the most inspiring and accomplished players in the history of tennis, Beyonce, 40, instead focused on something else that makes her great: her love for the game and herself. “When the world writes her down in history, we’ll begin where she started: at love. No points. Zero score. Just love,” she began the ad.
Aside from her many achievements on the court, Beyonce said that Serena’s loe will be remembered for “generations,” and she pointed out that her self-love is really what made her such an icon. “A movement to always love exactly who you are and who you can be. To be so in love with your identity that your very essence cannot be contained. To love the sound of your own voice and the way you move,” she said. “To feel like a queen unapologetically, with the crown indefinitely. To cherish every muscle and every curve your body exhibits.”
Even though Serena has so many victories under her belt, Beyonce highlighted some of the other titles that the player has had that truly make her “one of a kind,” including “being a proud, Black woman, a parent, a dreamer, [and] a leader.”
As Bey finished her speech, she echoed her opening in showing just how inspiring Serena has been to so many over the years. “So when you write her down in history, no matter who you are, no matter where you are, we’ll remember what she’s shown us: a movement to love you,” she said.
Serena announced that she would be “moving on” from her pro tennis career in a Vogue interview earlier in August. “I’m here to tell you that I’m evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me,” she told the outlet. She had said that the U.S. Open in September would be her last tournament.