Serena Williams has proven herself, and now most people see her as an important part of tennis. During her 27 years as a professional tennis player, she left an indelible mark on the sport. 

The 23-time Grand Slam champion has always been very active outside of her sports, attending concerts, awards show, etc. During one such appearance at the 2005 ESPY awards, Matthew Perry, the actor and host, made an awkward joke while mentioning Serena.

Matthew Perry made an embarrassing joke about Serena

Serena Williams once made her way to the 2005 ESPY Awards, in Hollywood, California. During the award function, Matthew Perry took to the stage and made a joke about Serena Williams. 

He said, “It’s been a wonderful year in sports, especially for me. My Red Sox won the World Series. My Patriots won the Super Bowl again. And 10 minutes ago I had World Class Sex with Serena Williams back stage. I’m just kidding. It was 20 minutes ago.”

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While some took the joke as a lighthearted quip from the renowned actor and comedian, others criticized the joke. Some accused Perry of sexualizing a champion like Serena for laughs at a major event. As far as the event was concerned, Maria Sharapova was named the Best Female Tennis Player of the year, while Roger Federer took home the Best Male Tennis Player award.

What is Serena Williams up to these days?

After decades of dominating the tennis court, Serena has finally hung up her racket and moved on to the next stage of her career. The former world number one plans to redirect her efforts toward growing her business. Especially, she has been fully focused on her venture capital firm, Serena Ventures.

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She has been working in this field for quite some time, and it already features the combined efforts of several prominent figures. Beginning with MasterClass, this streaming service gives its users entry to the expertise of more than 150 educators and their respective courses. Furthermore, she has a joint venture with Tonal, a small business providing clients with home gyms. Through her firm, Serena aims at empowering women business owners and those hailing from under-represented communities.