Serena Williams is arguably the biggest tennis star of all time, with her fame expanding far beyond just sport.

She has transcended beyond these confines, entering into the realms of pop culture legend, given all she accomplished both on and off the court.

A trailblazer who is wholly unique, it has been a pleasure to watch the 44-year-old dominate the tennis world and continue to remain so relevant since retiring in 2022.

In fact, her relevance arguably reached an all-time peak last year, when she made a shock appearance during Kendrick Lamar’s half-time show at the Super Bowl.

Serena Williams reveals Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl invitation

Speaking about that event, which occurred around this time last year, the American superstar revealed how such an occasion came about.

Serena wrote: “When @kendricklamar and team called and was like ‘we’ve been trying to do something forever, what about this? We loved your crip walk at the Olympics after you won the gold medal.

“I’m like Super Bowl? Are you serious? When in the world would I ever be able to dance at a Super Bowl? (Never) let’s do it! I knew my winning dance after the @olympics would pay off one day. End of story.”

There was particular controversy surrounding her appearance, given Lamar’s performance of ‘Not Like Us’ was a diss track aimed at Drake, whom Serena had reportedly dated around 2011 and 2015.

Serena Williams’ pop culture domination

This was not the only time that Serena inserted herself into the pop culture domain. Arguably, since bursting onto the scene as a supremely talented teenager, she has never left it.

Her fashion has always dominated headlines, but her relationship with music is one that has kept her supremely relevant in social discourse, too.

She has appeared in videos for Beyoncé’s 2016 song ‘Lemonade’ and Drake’s 2018 song ‘Nice For What?’.

Serena has long been a vocal advocate for Black women and maternal health, with her status as a pop culture legend secured through appearances at huge events like the Met Gala.

This 23-time Grand Slam champion is so much more than just a tennis player. In fact, she has arguably moved far beyond the sport, into new levels of superstardom.