Serena Williams has played against many legendary players during her time as a professional tennis player. In 2015, the American picked up a racket and faced an unconventional opponent in a friendly match with former US President Donald Trump.
Williams was invited to attend the opening of the Tennis Performance Center at Trump National Golf Links in Sterling, Virginia. After the awards ceremony, the 23-time Grand Slam champion played an exhibition match with Trump to mark the occasion.
While Williams wore tracksuits, Trump stayed true to his style and played some balls in his suit. He took off his shoes and played barefoot.
Video of the event resurfaced and went viral on social media, with over 10 million views on X (formerly Twitter) alone.
Tennis fans marveled at the volleys from Williams and Trump, praising the latter’s willful and powerful forehand. Some even think Trump has a better forehand than some pros.
One fan joked: “Trump is such a genius, hahaha.”
“His first swing was like the ball owed him money,” one fan wrote.
Another fan claimed: “Trump does have better FH than Tsitsipas.”
“Both are great and no, it doesn’t matter when it comes out,” he told fans.
Here are more reactions from tennis fans:
‘He has the right to do whatever he wants’ – Serena Williams on prospect of playing in front of Donald Trump
In 2018, after Donald Trump became president of the United States, there were rumors that he might travel to the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London to watch the Wimbledon Championships.
Trump was on a state visit to the UK at the time, and Serena Williams also competed in SW19 that year.
After her fourth-round victory over Yevgenia Rodina, the American legend was asked if Trump would come to one of her fights.
Reporters asked Serena Williams if she would be affected in any way if Trump were watching from the stands. The 42-year-old said that meeting the 77-year-old would not affect his game and that the then-US president could do whatever he wanted.
“I think he has the right to do whatever he wants to do. If he wants to play in the Wimbledon final, he has the right. I hope I can be there. I still have a lot of games to win. “For me, I can’t even think that far ahead. I just think about it one at a time. ” she replied (via France24).
Serena Williams reaches the final at Wimbledon 2018, just shy of her 24th Grand Slam title. However, Angelique Kerber held off Williams in the title race to win her third Grand Slam title.