Beyoncé pays tribute to Serena Williams in a new commercial for Gatorade that celebrates the tennis star’s final U.S. Open appearance.
“When the world writes her down in history, we’ll begin where she started: at love. No points, zero score — just love,” Beyoncé says in a voice over of images of women inspired by Williams. “It’s a love that we’ll remember through the generations, a love that started a movement, a movement to always love exactly who you are and who you can be.
“To be so in love with your identity that your very essence cannot be contained. To love the sound of your own voice and the way you move. To feel like a queen unapologetically, with a crown indefinitely. To cherish every muscle and every curve your body exhibits. A movement to always love being a proud Black woman, a parent, a dreamer, a leader. To love being one of a kind. To always love being you. The whole you. The real you. You. You. You. To always love you.”
The commercial ends with Beyoncé saying: “So when we write her down in history, no matter who you are, no matter where you are, we’ll remember what she’s shown us. A movement to love you.”
The “Love Means Everything” spot debuted on the U.S. broadcast of the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday. The U.S. Open runs until Sept. 12.
Beyoncé recorded “Be Alive” for the 2021 Williams biopic King Richard, for which she earned an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song. Her Oscar night performance of the track – shot at a public tennis court in Compton, California – won a Dorian TV Award.
Williams made a cameo in the video for “Sorry,” a song from Beyoncé’s 2016 album Lemonade.
Watch the commercial below: