Serena Williams Talks Tennis and Padel Over Heineken 0.0

Serena Williams hasn’t slowed down. She has just traded the baseline for the padel court, and the trophy for a very cold Heineken 0.0.

Serena Williams for Heineken. | Heineken

On a weekday afternoon in Miami, a group of padel players booked a court through Playtomic, showed up expecting a casual hit, and got one of the most genuinely surreal sporting moments of their lives.

Through Heineken 0.0’s new Open Match feature on the platform, which is designed around the idea that stepping outside your comfort zone should be rewarded, their fourth partner turned out to be Serena Williams. The Twenty-three Grand Slam champion and four-time Olympic Gold Medalist. The greatest of all time. Standing at the net, padel in hand, ready to play.

One of those players, Celine Thom, described it the only way you really can: “I never imagined that on a regular Wednesday afternoon I would be playing padel with the legendary Serena Williams. Playing with her was unreal, but having the chance to sit down and connect with her over a beer afterwards made it a truly unforgettable experience.”

Serena Williams for Heineken. | Heineken

That spontaneous and playful moment served as the opening act of Williams' new multi-year global partnership with Heineken 0.0. It’s the launch of something the brand is calling Unexpected Doubles: a feature where players who book through Open Match by Heineken 0.0 on Playtomic may find themselves rewarded for their willingness to show up and play with a surprise guest. 

First installment? Serena Williams. The bar has now been set aggressively high. And if the partnership itself reads like an unlikely combination at first glance, if you spend any time with her talking about it, the whole thing clicks into place almost immediately.

The Sport She Did Not See Coming

Padel has been a cultural institution across Europe and Latin America for years, and it is now landing in the U.S. with real momentum. Williams was tracking it before most people stateside had a strong opinion on it. The format featuring doubles, glass-walled courts, and tennis DNA with a more social soul, hooked her for reasons that feel entirely consistent with who she is. “I like how much I get out of the paddle court. I feel like I have a full workout with half the size of a tennis court.” That competitive drive still feels instinctual."

But the pull goes beyond the physical challenge. Padel, by its very structure, is a community sport. You’re always in doubles, and you’re always sharing the experience with the partner beside you. It creates conditions for a genuine connection almost automatically, and right now, that matters to Williams as much as anything else.

Serena Williams for Heineken. | Heineken

“I’m in a social space in my life right now where I feel like I can make new friends and vibe.” During the Heineken 0.0 shoot the day before we spoke, she watched how it unfolded in real time. Strangers start out finding their footing together on the court, swapping numbers, and end up making plans. “They can just have fun. New friends. Socializing.”

It is a version of post-career life that clearly suits her. She does not have her own court yet, but she is considering building one. “I’m waiting on other things to be done. Just logistics.” Which, from Williams, is basically a reminder to be on the lookout. 

Why the 0.0 Partnership Actually Makes Sense

The thing about Williams’ brand partnerships over the years is that they have tended to mean something. There has always been a thread connecting what she puts her name on to who she actually is. This one is no different. At her core, she still balances a lot. That doesn’t necessarily stop because the tour demands stop.

New demands come in, like motherhood and family time. What she puts in her body still matters to her, still factors into how she thinks, still shapes the choices she makes day to day. A zero-alcohol option that lets her be out, social, and fully in the moment with friends without any internal negotiation about whether it fits her standards is genuinely useful.

Serena Williams for Heineken. | Heineken

Beyond the personal fit, she connected with what the campaign is actually saying. Heineken 0.0 has been making the case that you do not need alcohol to be fully present at the party, the postgame, or the court. You can show up, belong, connect, and not compromise a single thing about yourself to do it.

“Representing a brand that allows you to prioritize socializing and a balanced lifestyle — because I believe it’s all about balance. I like that you can balance that lifestyle at the same time without having to compromise.”

For an athlete who has spent a career operating at a standard most people cannot fathom, the idea of not having to negotiate your values to fit into a room lands differently. The partnership is also bigger than one Miami afternoon.

Heineken 0.0 plans to continue Unexpected Doubles activations globally, giving padel players around the world the chance to book through Playtomic, and potentially find themselves across the court from someone they never expected. A Wednesday hit that ends with a Heineken 0.0 at the net post and a story you will be telling for years is a brand experience that is difficult to top.

Exchange of Eras

There is a part of the conversation that one might find extra insightful. I threw out a handful of names from Williams' rivalry catalog — Martina Hingis, Maria Sharapova, Victoria Azarenka, Jelena Jankovic — and asked which one she would most want to sit down with over a Heineken 0.0 today. No cameras, no agenda, just the two of them and an honest conversation. She barely paused. Martina Hingis.

“I’ve always been a fan of Martina Hingis. I’ve always admired her. Growing up, looking at her, I thought she was one of the most incredible players in the sport.” What makes this answer so interesting is the specific dynamic she brought attention to. Hingis was the undisputed and almost untouchable force in women’s tennis right up until the Williams era arrived and bluntly reorganized the entire conversation.

Serena Williams for Heineken. | Heineken

Williams did not dance around that history. “She was dominating, and then we came, and we dominated. That must have sucked.” She lets it sit there for a second. “But just getting her perspective on it — I think she was iconic to me.” There is something compelling about a conversation between two people who each sat at the very top of the same sport in consecutive eras and watched the other reshape everything around them.

Over a round of beers, that would be serious tennis history sitting down for a drink. They don’t cross circles often, as there’s an ocean between them, as Serena puts it, but that conversation needs to happen, and honestly, Heineken 0.0 should probably sponsor it.

Tennis Wins, but There is Room 

Padel is a doubles-led sport, which means the most important decision you make is who stands beside you. I asked Williams which current WTA player she would call first if a court opens up. Coco Gauff. “I would have to have Coco on my team. She’s fast, she’s smart, she’s fun.” Her reasoning was instinctive and immediate, the kind of read on a player that only comes from years of watching the game at its highest level and understanding exactly what translates from tennis to other sports. Somebody needs to put this padel match together, ASAP. 

Tennis, padel, and pickleball are all racket sports having their moment simultaneously. Serena told me where she lands on the coexistence question. Her answer was rather unapologetic. “Tennis will always clearly be the winner in my eyes. Let’s be real.”

Her entire life was built inside that sport, but she is not dismissive of what padel is building. She genuinely lights up at the idea of it growing alongside tennis rather than against it. With the architecture of padel revolving around sharing the court, it generates an organic connection that a solo baseline session can sometimes miss, and that part is what excites her. It maps directly onto what Heineken 0.0 is trying to build around the sport.

She even started riffing mid-conversation when I brought up a potential mega-event: tennis and padel, Hard Rock Stadium, multiple courts running at once, the city large enough to hold all of it. “That would be so fun. You’re onto something.” It is the kind of idea that sounds ambitious until the person saying it has the profile and the connections to actually make it happen.

Serena Williams for Heineken. | Heineken

Almost Too Much to Watch

As for her connection to the WTA tour these days, there’s still one big link, Venus. The older of the historic duo is still competing on the WTA Tour at 45 years old. Still physically doing things that stretch the boundaries of what should be possible. Serena watches from a careful distance, though, or sometimes from no distance at all.

“I actually don’t watch her because I get so stressed out. I’m not a superstitious person, but I become superstitious when I’m watching her.” The nerves and tension can arrive uninvited, and the score refresh button becomes compulsive. “I try to miss every match. Which sounds crazy.” It does not sound all that crazy. It sounds like someone who understands, more deeply than almost anyone else, what every single point at that level actually means. 

“When you know someone so well, so long, and you know what they’re capable of, it’s just hard. It’s hard for me to watch. But I’m always obviously rooting for her and wishing her well in all the things.”

Serena Williams in 2026 is operating on her own terms, in her own time, and on her own court, even if that court currently has glass walls and is slightly smaller. The Heineken 0.0 partnership is smart, the padel investment is real, and the Unexpected Doubles concept is exactly the kind of bold, community-first activation that fits who she is in this chapter of life. Different sport, same Serena.