Serena Williams Says Golf Is ‘No Longer About Country Clubs’
Serena Williams has spoken about turning to golf after stepping away from tennis and how the sport is becoming more mainstream.
The 41-year-old tennis great announced last year that she was quitting the sport she had played since childhood and in which she had won 23 Grand Slam singles titles.
Since then, Williams has pursued new interests, including trying her hand at other sports, which she had never really tried until now. “That’s it, I’ll do it,” she told Newsweek.
“I’m not trying to be the best, but I’m going to enjoy it and have fun. I just want to do something different,” she said.
She also hasn’t been shy about trying golf, saying it has become more accessible over the years and has outgrown its “stuffy” reputation.
Serena Williams says she has taken up golf and will star in a golf-themed Super Bowl commercial for Michelob Ultra beer. Michelob Ultra.
“I know golf courses change,” she said. “I know it’s not about country clubs or stuffy or narrow attitudes anymore, and I think it’s here to stay and the fans are energetic, the communities are inclusive, with younger faces and more diverse. And these are successful partnerships [like one with Michelob] it will affect new generations in the sport.”
Williams joins Succession star Brian Cox to star in a Super Bowl commercial for Michelob Ultra beer.
The prestigious Super Bowl spot will feature Williams in a golf-themed commercial that celebrates gender equality as Williams takes on Cox in a golf tournament.
She also said she was reluctant to try other sports as a tennis pro because she knows how competitive she can be.
“It’s something that I always have to be careful with, and I honestly think that’s why I never really chose any other sport because I have this knack of wanting to be really good at anything. I do,” she said.
Williams admitted to being ‘ok’ with her mediocrity at golf because she ‘didn’t do it for a living’ and unlike tennis ‘didn’t start it to [age] 2.”
“So I don’t have any expectations,” she said, adding that she had some advantages in playing golf because “tennis means the swing is kind of similar, so I won’t hurt anyone on the course.” .
“It’s hand/eye/ball/eye coordination. I was pretty good on set. I took the hit and hit it,” she said.
She played her last match at the US Open last September. During her career, Williams has won the most Open-era singles titles and is second to Margaret Court in Grand Slam singles titles. The court won 24.
After starring in his second Super Bowl commercial and a brief appearance in Netflix murder mystery film Glass Onion, Williams hasn’t ruled out trying his hand at more acting.
“That would be fun, wouldn’t it,” she said. “It would be unplanned, but I’m open and pretty free now, my schedule is open. I don’t have a lot of free time, but I could do it.”