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Serena Williams is one of the world's greatest athletes, so you'd never think you'd find her in a random tennis park.

But, these lads did… or rather, Serena found the lads!

Serena was on a walk with her fiancée, Alex Ohanian, and her dog Chip, when she came across two guys playing a match.

So, like all champs, she went up to them and asked if she could play the winner.

And of course, like all of our favourite celebs, she documented the whole thing on Snapchat.

The lads, were surprisingly grand with this, exclaiming "YES PLEASE!" to her idea, before it actually hit them that they're going to play tennis with Serena Williams, because then their reactions swiftly turned to, "OMG what the HELL!"

We think we might love her even more now.

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I'm not going to claim that I know the ins and outs of every feminist issue.

But I can safely say that as a 22-year-old woman, I was thoroughly angered by a piece which recently featured in The Independent titled Serena Williams sabotages own equality battle with soft-porn photo shoot.

Why? Because it basically puts women back in a box, and insinuated that the only reason a woman might pose in a swimsuit is to tease and titillate.

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Serena Williams' Sports Illustrated cover shoot was gorgeous, yet it was labelled nothing "other than soft porn," by a female sports journalist, and I can't help but ask, are we really that backwards?

For Christ's sake, a woman in a swimsuit is far from soft porn and to label it that is not only degrading, but insulting to Serena.

For anyone who hasn't read the Sports Illustrated feature, Serena wanted to show off her body because it's muscular – and she's proud of that. She wanted to show that it's not only your standard runway models who get to grace covers of magazines.

Strong, athletic and successful women do, too.

Serena Williams is one of the greatest athletes of our time, and loving herself and her body does not "sabotage the equality battle."

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She has had to face this criticism throughout her whole career, her whole life even, so to describe her as "wanting to be validated for how [she] looks," is totally wrong and disrespectful.

The author says that she "doesn't agree with photos objectifying women." But, what about photos 'objectifying' men? Or indeed, athletes?

The ESPN Body magazine photographs countless athletes year after year, yet is this considered objectification? No. It's to celebrate their bodies, which endure workouts, diets and gruelling regimes so they can be as successful as possible in their line of sport.

Their whole lives are about their bodies. Their talent is their bodies.

Why shouldn't they show them off if they want to?

The opening line of the article suggests Serena's interest in thong bikinis speaks to her sudden lack of interest in the issue of equality.

"I've never actually worn a thong bikini… the thong is perfect, it really made me feel comfortable. I'm officially a thong girl now."

Cool, Serena's into thongs. But that's not all she's into.

How about this quote by Serena: "Luck has nothing to do with it because I have spent many, many hours, countless hours, on the court working for my one moment in time, not knowing when it would come."

Or this one: "I love who I am, and I encourage other people to love and embrace who they are. But it definitely wasn't easy – it took me a while."

Fixating on her comments about a thong is pretty demeaning and it dismisses how hard she's worked and how much she has had to overcome in order to feel good in herself.

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Trying to make it out as if Serena is only into 'showbusiness' like the Kardashians and only cares about how she looks is an unfair assessment of the Sports Illustrated feature.

When you can acknowledge that "Serena has done her bit in the past to raise the issue of equality in sport," why concentrate on a photo of her in a swimsuit?

"She has done her bit" No, she's done A LOT. Why suggest her time has come and passed, and she no longer bothers with equality issues anymore?

Appearing to miss the point, The Independent writer asks: "So to look strong, sexy and to be a woman involves baring your butt and boobs?"

That's not the point.

She's not talking about being naked. She's not talking about showing off her boobs and bum. She's talking about being COMFORTABLE in her own skin, after years of criticism. 

She is talking about how she was bullied about her larger frame and has now overcome it.

And she's saying it's OK to be ANY kind of woman, with any kind of shape, and still love yourself.

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"These photos switch Serena into the traditional passive role for women who are objectified as things to be ogled," we're told.

Just because she poses in a swimsuit does not render her countless other achievements null and void.

Women have  overcome the "traditional" and "passive" labels in a big way, and even though more changes need to be made, women have come so far.

We are business women. We are entrepreneurs. We are travellers. We are mothers. We are fighters. We stand up for what we believe in. We are not passive anymore, and if you look at current events – it shows.

500,000 people marched in Washington earlier this year for women's rights. 100,000 marched in London and 5,000 marched in Dublin. 

Tables have turned, and for a woman to make these comments warrants more than a 'simple SMH and move on' moment.

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Do you not see the bigger picture? Do you not see that she feels empowered by her body and is proud of it? She's clearly not doing it for people to "lust" after her as the article states.

The article ends by saying, "They allow themselves to become a commercialised version of 'sexy'. And we all know how that sells."

As I stated at the beginning, Serena is celebrating her body because it doesn't look like everyone else. It's not what you see on the average commercial.

She's celebrating her body because she's strong and she's proud of it.

And who is anyone to tell her she's wrong?

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Well, Serena Williams certainly had a great friday night.

The seven-time Wimbledon champion and four-time Olympic gold medal holder joined in with her own dance routine when she made her way onto the stage for the Rio Olympics opening ceremony and it looked like she was having a ball from start to finish.

Even better, she shared the whole thing on Snapchat:

And that ladies, is how you make an entrance.

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It's a good day for Serena Williams, she has just taken home the trophy in Wimbledon.

In the captivating final, Serena beat Germany's Angelique Kerber 7-5 to 6-3.

It's the youngest Williams sister's 22nd grand slam title and we're sure Venus is over the moon for her sibling.

 

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We're big fans of Princess Kate around these parts – so today we've been pretty ecstatic at the news that the British royal has just made her SnapChat debut.

And while sadly, the 34-year-old hasn't set up her own profile just yet (imagine the totes adorbs snaps of George and Charlotte!), she did appear on the social media platform via winning semi-finalist Serena Williams's account. 

Hurrah!

In the video, which was taken at Wimbledon earlier today, the Duchess Of Cambridge can be seen rocking a bright yellow dress from Roskanda alongside the clearly delighted tennis superstar. 

Sophie, Countess Of Wessex is also in attendance and after Kate beckons for her to join the party-of-two, she can also be seen smiling warmly for the footage. 

And while the wife of Prince Wills is evidently rocking her best 'I'm not so sure about this but I better just play along' face – with Ms Williams, Wimbledon's current defending champion, is relishing the moment. 

Indeed, at one stage she announces: "OK so I'm in the in crowd now… I'm with royalty!"

With Serena now through to Saturday's final, and with the Duchess due to make further SW19 appearances over the course of the final few days of the competition, here's to hoping we can nab another few SnapChat sneak-peaks of Kate. 

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Amy Schumer and Serena Williams are just two of the enviable list of women who have posed for an up and coming 2016 calendar. 

The Pirelli calendar, which is notorious for using nude models for each month, is enjoying a much needed revamp this year. 

For the first time, the shots were taken by legendary photographer Annie Liebovitz and feature inspiring women mostly with their clothes ON.  

“When Pirelli approached me, they said they wanted to make a departure from the past. They suggested the idea of photographing distinguished women,” said Liebovitz.

“After we agreed on that, the goal was to be very straightforward. I wanted the pictures to show the women exactly as they are, with no pretence.”

However, there are still one or two months that feature a tasteful, semi nude shot for 2016 but this time the nudity has a purpose. 

In the case of Serena Williams, the tennis superstar is photographed from behind pushing a wall and the snap articulates her sheer physical strength and power. 

Liebovitz noted that Amy Schumer's nude was a little bit more tongue in cheek. 

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"The Amy Schumer portrait added some fun. It’s as if she didn’t get the memo saying that she could keep her clothes on."

That's SO Amy. 

We absolutely commend the 43rd version of the calendar for abandoning it's nude models in favour of women of achievement and it already looks like something we would hang on our wall. 

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Think Serena Williams is a softie at heart? Think again.

The tennis pro was out for a dinner with her fellow sports star Caroline Wozniacki last night, when she suddenly found herself chasing down a phone thief… and winning.

Taking to Facebook this afternoon, the US Open champ explained how she knew something wasn't right when a strange man spent a little too long lingering by her table.

"So this guy is standing next to me and something (I have now dubbed it my SUPERHERO sense) told me to watch him," she wrote. 

"My phone was sitting in the chair but I just didn't feel right. He was there too long."

Needless to say, Serena's "superhero sense" was indeed correct, and the man proceeded to grab her phone, obviously not knowing who exactly he was messing with.

"He began to run but I was too fast. (Those sprints came in handy) I was upon him in a flash," she told her followers today.

"In the most menacing yet calm no nonsense voice I could muster I kindly asked him if he 'accidentally' took the wrong phone.

"He stumbled on his words… eventually he said 'Gosh you know what I did! It was so confusing in there. I must have grabbed the wrong phone.'"

After relieving the thief of his stolen goods, Serena said she walked back into the restaurant to a "standing ovation" from the other diners.

Signing off, the tennis star urged other women to "not be a victim but a hero."

That's advice for life right there.

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You can now add restauranteur to Drake's CV. 

Early this week, the 28-year-old rapper had a low-key celebration for the opening of his new restaurant, Fring. 

He opened the restaurant in his hometown of Toronto and invited his BFF Serena Williams, Jada Pinkett Smith and Jaden Smith. 

The menu for his restaurant is still under wraps, but the star did partner up with chef Susur Lee, of the restaurant Lee, Bent and Luckee. 

He also hired past contestants of US TV shows Iron Chef and Top Chef Masters to join the venture, so the food must be good! 

Drake has been a friend of Susur's sons Kai and Levi Bent-Lee for a while, which kind of explains the partnership, and according to Fashion Magazine, the menu will feature Asian hints as per Susur's signature, mixed with high-end snacks.

 

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Every year, Pirelli asks twelve of the world's most beautiful women to appear in their much-talked-about calendar. 

The calendar is usually a collection of provocative portraits released annually by the Italian tire manufacturer.

While invitations have historically been reserved for supermodels and fashion icons, the first star set to appear in the 2016 edition is American sports legend, Serena Williams.

The tennis pro took to Twitter today to announce the exciting news.

The calendar is famous for its sexy edge and tasteful touch of nudity, was shot in July and will be released in its entirety come November.

Joining the ranks of so many supers, Serena has achieved Pirelli girl status just as Karlie Kloss, Gigi Hadid and Joan Smalls have in the past.

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Both Drake and Lorde were in New York to enjoy one of the most fashionable events of the year. While many people were concerned about Lorde’s eye which was looking quite red and swollen and generally painful, other eagle-eyes fans noticed something far more exciting.

When she and Drake posed for a photo at Kanye’s show, music fans around the world got very excited.

Then they realised what Drake had captioned the image:

“Wifey (Low Key,” and some fabulous diamond ring emoji’s were enough to send fans into overdrive.

The fact that Lorde already has a song called Tennis Court, which we know is a place where Drake spends a lot of time, only got people more excited because clearly this means they have some common interests.

 

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She then of course responded to the excitement of Drake’s caption with a cute little tweet of her own. She seemed pretty pleased about Drake’s affection for her, although we don’t know who wouldn’t be.

Serena Williams more than likely. Serena and Drake have been spotted looking mighty cosy out and about of late. The Canadian rapper has also been on hand to show Serena support at her last few tennis tournaments. The pair did cause quite a stir at Wimbledon.

 

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We just hope Drake doesn’t caption the next post with a lady friend “bae” because apparently Serena didn’t appreciate his term of endearment for Anna Wintour. The comment has since been deleted but it made the rounds earlier this week:

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Tennis fans were on the edge of their seats today as US heroine Serena Williams stepped onto the court at the US Open.

The 33-year-old was hoping for her 22nd major title win but lost out to Italian player Roberta Vinci, who beat her 2-6, 6-4, 6-4. Serena left the court immediately after the match, not stopping to speak with reporters.

A win today would have meant a Tennis Grand Slam for Serena, who won the Australian Open in January, the French Open in June and Wimbledon in July. 

Had she won, it would have been the first Grand Slam in the sport in 27 years, but sadly it wasn't to be.

Speaking to reporters after the game, underdog Roberta said the win was an "incredible moment" for her.

She seemed elated throughout the match, reportedly shouting "WHAT ABOUT ME?" to the crowd after scoring a point against Serena.

Sitting in the crowd to offer support was Serena's rumoured boyfriend, rapper Drake.

The couple have long been thought of as more than just friends – in fact, back in 2011 they were spotted kissing at the Wimbledon clubhouse following Serena's victory over Victoria Azarenka in the tournament's quarter finals. 

Four years on, Drake attended several of Serena's Wimbledon matches in July, hanging out with her sister Venus courtside plus John Legend and wife Chrissy Teigen.

And just last month the pair were spotted "making out" at trendy Cincinnati eatery Sotto, much to the surprise of their fellow diners.

Drake and Serena had a private room at the back of the restaurant and couldn't keep their hands off each other, according to onlookers.

There'll be a commiseration meal tonight we reckon…

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Ever since Drake was pictured cheering on tennis pro Serena Williams at Wimbledon back in July, rumours have been swirling that the pair are an in fact an item. And if this latest update is anything to go by, they most definitely are.

The lovebirds were spotted "making out" at trendy Cincinnati eatery Sotto last night, much to the surprise of their fellow diners. Drake and Serena had a private room at the back of the restaurant and couldn't keep their hands off each other, according to onlookers.

Photos published by TMZ showed the rumoured couple sitting across from one another, before Serena moved to Drake's side of the table and sat on his lap.

The couple have long been thought of as more than just friends – in fact, back in 2011 they were spotted kissing at the Wimbledon clubhouse following Serena's victory over Victoria Azarenka in the tournament's quarter finals. Four years on, Drake attended several of Serena's Wimbledon matches, hanging out with her sister Venus courtside plus John Legend and wife Chrissy Teigen.

He even took to Instagram to congratulate Serena publicly following her Women's Singles' 2015 win, her fourth major title in a row this season.

 

Showtime Champ. A big plate for all that food you ate at Wimbledon!

A photo posted by champagnepapi (@champagnepapi) on

"Showtime Champ. A big plate for all that food you ate at Wimbledon!" he wrote, posting a picture of the tennis star holding her trophy.

Drake was previously linked to Puerto Rican model and Instagram sensation Bernice Burgos, with the pair pictured looking VERY cosy on vacation in Australia together back in March. Plus, who can forget his shudder-inducing on stage smooch with Madonna just a few months ago?

We sure hope Serena is a better kisser…

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