SERENA Williams has expressed her embarrassment at her Nike advert entitled “The Queen is back” which threatened to upstage Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s nuptials, after being launched just days before the Royal Wedding, The Express reports.
The advert was launched ahead of Serena’s much-anticipated return to Grand Slam tennis at the French open following a lay-off of a year-and-a-half after giving birth to her daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr in September 2017.
Speaking during a press conference at Roland Garros, Serena commented on the advert, saying, “Nike came up with this idea right when I decided I was going to come back.”
But the tennis champion pointed to the unfortunate timing of the advert, stating, “It’s kind of interesting how it all tied into the wedding and, you know, then I felt a little awkward!
“Now, you know, Meghan is royalty and I have known her for so many years, and I’m like, I’m not — now she’s a princess. A duchess, I should say, excuse me.
“But anyway, it’s all really cool.”
Serena attended the Royal Wedding at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle alongside her husband Alexis Ohanian and her long-time agent Jill Smoller.
They were seated in the quire of the chapel alongside the royal family and A-listers including Oprah Winfrey and George Clooney.
The tennis ace praised her friend Meghan for incorporating elements of African American culture into the ceremony, and in particular the lively sermon by US Episcopalian Bishop Michael Curry.
Commenting on the special day itself, Serena said, “You know, it was really exciting to see so much African-American culture impacted in the wedding, and I was really happy that Meghan wanted to incorporate that into it.
“I think it was just a whole cultural shift and change.
“It was seeing how far African-Americans have come, I thought it was an incredibly inspiring and beautiful and really motivating thing.”
However Serena rejected claims she had won a beer pong competition at Meghan and Harry’s wedding reception at Frogmore House.
She said, “Oh, there was no beer pong. I don’t know where this story (came from) — I don’t even drink beer.”
Serena is currently competing at Roland Garros and is vying for her 24th Grand Slam title, the highest number of any player in the Open Era.
If she achieves the feat, she will match the non-Open Era record set by tennis champion Margaret Court, who won 24 Grand Slam singles titles.
Source: Punch
