Serena offers support to friend Meghan after Oprah interview

“She teaches me every day what it means to be truly noble.”

Over the past week, several people who know Meghan Markle personally have voiced their support for the Duchess of Sussex and repeatedly spoken about what a kind-hearted person she is. Now, in the wake of her and Prince Harry’s interview with Oprah Winfrey, one more famous friend has spoken out: Serena Williams.

The tennis star wrote a lengthy Instagram statement making it clear that she stands behind her friend. “I am so proud of you for being so brave. I know it is never easy,” she wrote in the caption of her post. “You are strong—both you and Harry. I love you. I adore you. Your friend S.”

Serena kicked off her statement by calling Meghan her “selfless friend” who “leads by example—with empathy and compassion. She teaches me every day what it means to be truly noble. Her words illustrate the pain and cruelty she’s experienced,” the seven-time Wimbledon champion wrote.

 

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Serena then compared her own personal experiences as a Black female tennis player to what the Duchess has been through. “I know first hand the sexism and racism institutions and media use to vilify women and people of color to minimize us, to break us down and demonize us,” she wrote.

“We must recognize our obligation to decry malicious, unfounded gossip and tabloid journalism. The mental health consequences of systemic oppression and victimization are devastating, isolating and all too often lethal.”

Serena also said that she wants women—including her daughter and Meghan’s daughter—to “live in a society that is driven by respect.”

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It’s no surprise that Serena is vocal about supporting Meghan, given that their friendship spans more than a decade. They first met in 2010 at a Super Bowl party and hit it off. Years later, Serena told Vanity Fair in 2017 that Meghan came to her for advice on dealing with the media after she began dating Prince Harry. “I told her, ‘You’ve got to be who you are, Meghan. You can’t hide,'” Serena said.