With the 2016 Summer Olympics underway—the tennis competition will kick off on Saturday—world No. 1 Serena Williams is currently practicing and preparing in Rio de Janeiro.
On Thursday she spoke to reporters at a press conference and was asked about, among other things, Andy Murray, Maria Sharapova, equal pay in tennis and … United States Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
Seriously.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion kept her composure and didn’t reveal whether or not she supports the billionaire, but she did use the opportunity to make a powerful statement.
“I don’t involve myself in politics,” the 34-year-old said, according to the *Los Angeles Times*. “But I think it is important we should pass the message of love, as opposed to hate.”
Williams has acknowledged that she’s met Trump on a number of occasions—she lives in Palm Beach, Florida, and the businessman owns an estate there—but earlier this summer she said that she won’t be voting for him. The reigning Wimbledon champion has publicly stated that, as a Jehovah’s Witness, voting goes against her religious beliefs.
In addition to being arguably the greatest women’s tennis player of all time, Williams is also a decorated Olympian. She won gold in doubles at the 2000 Sydney and 2008 Beijing Games, and in London in 2012 she took gold in both singles and doubles.
Serena will play singles in Rio, as well as doubles with her sister, Venus. Serena and Venus, the top-seeded doubles team, could meet in the singles semifinals. But Serena has a tough draw to contend with. She could face Garbine Muguruza, who defeated her in the French Open final in June, and Roberta Vinci in the quarterfinals. Vinci, of course, stunned Serena last year in the U.S. Open semifinals.