Serena Williams aced the hosting gig when she picked up the microphone to present the 2024 ESPY Awards. Coco Gauff even took a moment to mention, “hahah i am loving @serenawilliams hosting #ESPYS24.” But when it comes to track and field, things aren’t really looking great for the tennis superstar. Of course, the fans were elated when Alexis Ohanian announced that Williams would be the one to present the Tiffany Crown to the winners at Athlos NYC 2025. But when she fumbled with some basic track and field facts, it all went downhill. And fans aren’t really forgiving. 

It all began right after Brittany Brown clocked a season best of 10.99s to win the Athlos 100m dash. When she hopped onto the stage for her 100m crown, Brown mentioned to Williams that she has one more race to go (200m). To this, the 23-Grand Slam champion replied, “oh you got another race. I didn’t know.”

Later on, when Tara Davis-Woodhall leaped 7.13m to win the crown, Williams addressed her as “Tara Davis-Woodhill.” Correcting her mistake, the tennis icon then added, “Tara sorry it was my southern accent.”

Following this, during the crowning ceremony of Keely Hodgkinson for her 800m win at the Icahn Stadium, Williams said, “give it up,” without calling the Briton’s name onto the stage or announce her victory. And soon after this, the track and field fans started showing their disapproval, anticipating further goof-ups in the event. 

Many fans expressed their disappointment at the tennis star as Athlos NYC 2025 streamed live on YouTube. 

Fans weren’t happy with Serena Williams’ slip-ups at Athlos 2025

Many fans claimed that Williams wasn’t really doing a good job at Athlos. One fan on X claimed, “Serena Williams is doing a horrible job.” Meanwhile, many others pointed out that she didn’t really know anything about the athletes competing in the one-of-a-kind track and field invitational event.  

Later, when Brittany Brown won the 200m dash by finishing at just 21.89s, Williams asked her how many crowns she had collected by now. And the fans couldn’t take it anymore. One fan commented, “Serena is not good at this lol.” Meanwhile, many even claimed that “Serena is a terrible host.” 

As the 1500m race began, people got worried that Williams might mess up again. And that’s when one of the fans decided to send a subtle warning for her in the YouTube live’s comments section. The comment read, “Serena read the notes now honey.” Another fan added, “Chileeeee… my gawd. You gotta do your homework serena but im glad your presence is bringing eyes to the sport.” Indeed, Serena Williams stole the spotlight as she graced the Athlos meet and presented the crowns to the winners.

In fact, Serena Williams also presented a custom made Tiffany and Co. crown to Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce to honor the Jamaican for ‘a lifetime of speed, excellence and legacy.’