Serena Williams Explains Why She Decided Not to Approach Taylor Swift During the Super Bowl

While the tennis superstar stole the show during halftime, she revealed there was one task she didn’t complete: getting Swift’s autograph for her daughter.

Serena Williams and Taylor Swift / Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Roc Nation, Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic/Getty Images

Serena Williams certainly had a busy Super Bowl Sunday this year, but one thing she didn’t get a chance to do was speak with longtime friend Taylor Swift—and now we know why.

The 43-year-old tennis superstar, entrepreneur and proud mama was recently celebrated in 2025’s TIME100: The World’s Most Influential People issue, where she opened up about her incredible experience dancing onstage with Kendrick Lamar during his iconic Halftime Show in a viral moment that shocked the world. Still, Williams admitted she and her husband, Alexis Ohanian, had another mission in mind for the evening: getting Swift’s autograph for their adorable daughter, Olympia.

The couple was unfortunately unable to accomplish their task that night, and Williams shared the reason why she chose not to approach the singer.

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Swift, who was at the big game in support of her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, was locked in on the game, not there as a celebrity so much as an encouraging girlfriend. And, while Williams, Ohanian, and their daughter did wait outside of the superstar’s suite hoping to catch her for a quick moment during her exit—as the Chiefs began trailing behind the Philidelphia Eagles for the win—Williams understood it was not the right place, nor the right time to chat with her.

“I’m such a mom. I was ready to go in here myself and be like, ‘Taylor, come get this girl,’” Williams said of the decision. "It’s hard when your team is losing. I totally get it.”

Williams also commented on the now-infamous moment wherein the stadium booed Swift after she was shown on the jumbotron, saying, “Why would you boo her? That’s so mean. That’s just awful.”

Williams had famously tweeted her support of Swift that same night with a simple “I love you,” taking that wonderful mom energy she mentioned in her interview to the next level (like, I’m pretty fairly certain if Serena Williams tweeted she loved me, it would cure my every ailment):

I love you @taylorswift13 dont listen to those booo!!

— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) February 9, 2025

But Swifites and Serena stans alike know this isn’t the first time Williams and Swift have crossed paths, as the two have been friends for at least a decade, with Williams once appearing onstage during Swift’s 1989 World Tour back in 2015. Swift also appeared to directly reference (and support!) Williams in her 2020 music video for “The Man,” which ended with a parody depicting the double standard in how men and women are treated on the tennis court.

And Williams even attended The Eras Tour in Miami back in October 2024, posting a sweet video to her Instagram with the caption, “Oh, just a casual Swiftie over here (maybe not so casual 🤷🏿‍♀️).”

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So, Taylor Swift, if you’re reading this article for some reason: first off...um, hi, I’m a big fan. Second, please send Olympia an autograph if you haven’t already, please and thanks!