Tennis star Serena Williams has poked fun at her friends Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, as she introduced the ESPY awards commemorating achievements in sports.

Williams, 42, delivered a lively opening monologue in which she also addressed the Kendrick Lamar and Drake rap beef, and hit out at NFL star Harrison Butker for his comments urging women to embrace a role as homemakers.

The ceremony took place on Thursday (11 July) at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles.

“Prince Harry and Meghan are here, let’s give it up for them,” said Williams as she opened her speech.

“But please, Harry and Meghan, try not to breathe too much tonight. Because this is my night and I don’t want to be overshadowed by accusations you guys are taking up too much oxygen.”

Harry and Meghan appeared to take joke in good spirits as they clapped along and smiled. The dig appeared to be a reference to their ongoing absence from public and family events, amid reports that their presence would be distracting.

The estranged Prince collected the Pat Tillman Award for veterans at the glittering ceremony in Los Angeles, for his work with the Invictus Games, his initiative that celebrates the sporting achievements of wounded, sick or injured service people.

Williams joked that she didn’t want the couple to distract from her night (ABC/ESPN)
ESPN’s decision to give the Duke of Sussex, 39, the award was not without controversy, however, with tens of thousands of people signing a petition arguing that there are more deserving recipients.

Mary, the mother of Pat Tillman, the late veteran after whom the award is named, said she could not understand why the award was being given to such a “controversial and divisive” individual.

Harry took the opportunity to praise her while accepting the award and also paid tribute to his own mother, the late Princess Diana, telling the audience that “the bond between a mother and son is eternal”.

Harry and Meghan took the joke in good spirits (ABC/ESPN)
Williams and Markle have been friends for over 10 years as they bonded over the pressures of being in the public eye. The tennis legend called the Suits actor the “strongest person I know” following Markle’s bombshell Oprah interview in 2021.

During the highly publicised interview, Markle shared candid revelations about her mental health and controversial statements alluding to racism in the royal family after alleged comments emerged about the colour of her son’s skin.

“Meghan is a great person and I think the epitome of strength, the epitome of confidence, the epitome of selflessness and the epitome of everything is just her and everything that she’s gone through,” Williams said in an interview with Stuart Weitzman’s chief marketing officer, Behnaz Ghahramani in 2021.