In honor of Serena Williams’s upcoming retirement, Gatorade honored the tennis legend in their newest commercial, narrated by none other than Beyoncé. The powerful ad focuses all about the power of love, especially self-love, and the kind of impact it can have on ourselves and others. “When the world writes her down in history, we’ll begin where she started,” Beyoncé reads, as old footage of Williams flashes across the screen. “At love. No points. Zero score. Just love.”
“It’s a love that we’ll remember through the generations. A love that started a movement,” Beyoncé continues. “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 further emphasize the message behind her words, the video shows some of Williams’s most iconic moments, including her effortlessly sliding into a split, screaming in triumph, and competing hard in tournaments: strong, confident, and unapologetic for claiming space in what had previously been a largely white sport.
The commercial continues by talking about pride, showing a plethora of young athletes and people of color moving with joy. “A movement to always love being a proud Black woman, a parent, a dreamer, a leader,” Beyoncé says as Williams is shown looking glamorous on the red carpet one moment, and then high-fiving her daughter Olympia on the tennis court the next.
“To love being one of a kind. To always love being you. The whole you. The real you. You,” Beyoncé says as the ad draws to a close. “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.”