The Drake Curse Supposedly Had Him Cursing His Girlfriend
You can’t go five seconds without hearing about Drake. Whether it’s one of his songs going viral via a TikTok dance video or him just showing up at a Toronto Raptors game to heckle players from his courtside seats, he’s always guaranteed to get everyone’s attention.
Drake drew a significant amount of attention several years ago when he was rumored to be in a relationship with tennis star Serena Williams. It even led some to speculate whether she fell victim to “The Drake Curse.” Let’s take a look back at Drake’s 2015 and how he may have cursed his then-girlfriend.
Drake and Serena’s “relationship”
While Williams is now married with a child, she was unattached a few years ago. Tabloids speculated that Drake and Williams were dating during the summer of 2015. Though the two never confirmed the relationship rumors, TMZ did catch them in an apparent kiss on camera out together. The two were spotted out to dinner together in Cincinnati after Williams’ victory in that year’s Cincinnati Open when a photographer captured them in what looked like an amorous embrace. Later that summer, Drake was also spotted watching some of her other matches live.
Explaining the Drake Curse
For years, sports fans have lamented about Drake’s impact on their favorite sports teams or athletes from a phenomenon known as the “Drake Curse.” Legend has it that athletes or teams Drake supports are destined to have bad luck befall them. Don’t believe it? If you take a look back at some of the instances in which it applied, you may have to acknowledge there’s something to it:
- Drake posted a picture of himself and boxer Anthony Joshua. A month later, Joshua lost in one of boxing history’s biggest upsets to Andy Ruiz, Jr.
- Soccer star Layvin Kurzawa posed for a picture with Drake. His club, Paris Saint-Germain, promptly lost their next match.
- Another soccer star, Paul Pogba, also posed for a picture with Drake. His club, Manchester United, also lost their next match.
- Drake posted a picture to his Instagram account of him wearing an Alabama football jersey prior to the 2019 National Championship game versus the Clemson Tigers. Clemson then proceeded to roll the Tide.
- Before UFC 236, Drake accompanied Connor McGregor at his weigh-in. McGregor then tapped out against the mighty Khabib Nurmagomedov.
- He attended an NHL playoff game between his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs and the Boston Bruins decked out in a Leafs jersey. Take a wild guess who won the game (hint: it wasn’t Toronto).
One Italian soccer club called Roma actually instructed their players that they were banned from taking pictures with the superstar. It’s quite unbelievable how often teams and players fall victim to this. But was Williams, one of the greatest athletes of all time and the greatest women’s tennis player ever, able to escape it?
In a word? No.
Did the Drake Curse impact Serena Williams?
Rumors about Drake and Williams dating hit during the summer of 2015. Later that summer, as she does nearly every year, Williams took part in the U.S. Open. She only made it to the semi-finals, however, losing to Roberta Vinci of Italy.
Williams is, of course, a consummate competitor, and for her part, she said talk of the curse was overblown:
“No. I don’t think that was fair … I’m the one who’s playing, who’s making mistakes or making winners. I’m not one to blame anyone else for anything. And I don’t think anyone else should either. I played a really good opponent that day. And I wasn’t at my best.”
So there you have it: according to Williams, it wasn’t Drake’s fault. But it does look awfully suspicious when you look at how many athletes he’s supported who then failed to come up big when it mattered.
