Serena shines at Desert Smash charity event before Indian Wells
CALIFORNIA, USA - Serena Williams continued her return to the game as star attraction at Desert Smash at the La Quinta Resort in California on Tuesday.
Flying straight in from her appearance at the Tie Break Tens in New York City the previous evening, Williams helped host proceedings at the annual event alongside former basketball players Lisa Leslie and Jason Collins and actors Boris Kodjoe and AnnaLynne McCord.
An array of stars from celebrity and sport mix on court at this annual charity event, which takes place ahead of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells.
That's a wrap! The 14th Annual Desert Smash charity celebrity event was a huge success! Thank you to Serena Williams for hosting the exhibition, Boris Kodjoe for hosting our live-ball Tennacity, and Lisa Leslie for being our host on the red carpet!#DesertSmash pic.twitter.com/2V52sxMuCt
— Desert Smash (@DesertSmash) March 7, 2018
#DesertSmash Dance-Off with @SerenaWilliams💃🏾🕺🏾@KingBach vs @LisaLeslie pic.twitter.com/e62WnlAGTw
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) 7 March 2018
The highlight of the afternoon was Williams taking part in a dance-off with fellow WTA player Victoria Azarenka, while other players involved included Bob and Mike Bryan, Jim Courier, Sam Querrey and Hyeon Chung.
Former Olympic gymnast Nadia Comaneci was also in attendance, along with Dr. Phil, singer Travis Atreo, actors Colton Haynes, Luis Guzman, J.B. Smoove, Omar Miller and Skye Marshall and comedians Amanda Cerny, Wanda Sykes and King Bach, among others.
Williams, who has not played competitively at singles since winning the Australian Open in 2017, plays her first-round match at Indian Wells on Thursday evening, when she takes on Zarina Diyas. The American, unseeded this year, previously won the tournament in 1999 and 2001.
