This Grand Slam champ slammed her royal friends — but it was all in jest.
Serena Williams poked fun at pals Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at the 2024 ESPY Awards on Thursday night, accusing them of overshadowing her appearance at the event.
The tennis legend hosted the awards show at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, where Harry was being honored with the Pat Tillman Award for Service.
Taking to the stage, Williams told the crowd that the Sussexes were in the audience, before stating: “Please, Harry and Meghan, try not to breathe too much tonight.”
“This is my night and I don’t want to be overshadowed by accusations you guys are taking up too much oxygen,” she further sassed.
Host Serena Williams speaks on stage during the 2024 ESPY Awards at Dolby Theatre on July 11, 2024.Getty Images for W+P
The Sussexes attended the awards show at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, where Harry was being honored with the Pat Tillman Award for Service.
Harry and Markle were seen smiling after Williams made the remarks, appearing to take the joke in their stride.
Markle has been friends with Williams for years, and the athlete attended the pair’s royal wedding back in 2018.
Earlier in the evening, they posed alongside the tennis superstar on the awards show’s red carpet.
And later in the night, Harry took to the stage to receive the Pat Tillman Award for Service for his military experience and work on the Invictus Games.
The award is named after Pat Tillman — the ex-NFL player who enlisted in the US Army after 9/11 and was killed in Afghanistan in 2004.
Earlier in the evening, the couple posed alongside the tennis superstar on the awards show’s red carpet.Getty Images for W+P
Prince Harry accepted the Pat Tillman Award for Service.Disney
Many people objected to the prince being named as the recipient of the award, including Tillman’s mother, Mary Tillman.
“I am shocked as to why they would select such a controversial and divisive individual to receive the award,” she told the Daily Mail last month. “There are recipients that are far more fitting. Individuals are working in the veteran community that are doing tremendous things to assist veterans.”
