Serena Williams was known for her expressions on and off the tennis courts at the height of her career, but she made a face that said everything when Kevin Hart asked her for her opinions about pickleball, one of the fastest-growing games in America.
Williams‘ expression revealed everything before she even said a word. In the debut episode of Amazon Prime Video’s Good Sports, hosted by Hart and Kenan Thompson, the 23-time Grand Slam champion declined to pursue pickleball and shared why her connection with the sport involves pain. Tennis star Eugenie Bouchard was one of the first to express their love for the new game after retiring .
Williams appeared on the show in episode 1, and Hart asked whether she had joined the wave of tennis icons, including Andre Agassi, John McEnroe, and Andy Roddick, who have embraced pickleball.
Williams froze him in place with an uncomfortable expression that made Hart immediately say, “Wtf was that? What was that, OMG?” Hart said, stunned after watching her face drop at the mention of the sport.
Williams then spelled out the reason behind the expression. “I’m a tennis player, so I love padel, I love tennis,” she said. “But only because I hurt myself playing pickle, and I’m used to playing with tennis rackets.”
“That pickleball racket is actually way heavier than a tennis racket. Can you imagine? And it’s way smaller. And ever since I kind of hurt myself, I’ve been like… eehhh. I love padel. It’s so fun.”
The on-camera chemistry then shifted into friendly banter. Hart joked about ending the show immediately, claiming he’s a skilled pickleball player, only for Williams to reply that he probably can’t play tennis or padel at all.
When he tried to challenge her to a game, she quickly moved on to the next part, in a move similar to when she pointed at Hart’s watch after he mentioned the Miami Dolphins’ front-office issues earlier in the show. Williams and her sister Venus are minority owners of the team, which has struggled to a 4–7 record after firing general manager Chris Grier.
The episode became even more chaotic when Williams was asked to guess whether celebrity business logos were real or fake. The rules required the hosts to ring a bell for correct answers, but they rang it randomly for right and wrong responses.
Williams laughed and called the show “ridiculous and unprofessional”. The tennis star continues to expand her media presence since retiring in 2022, but she remains one of the most influential figures in sports and business. On Monday, she shared a full-circle moment of her hitting tennis balls with her 2-year-old daughter, Adira.
Off the court, her venture firm Serena Ventures has raised more than $111 million and invested in over 150 companies, including 14 valued at more than $1 billion.