Blame it on the Drake Effect

SERENA WILLIAMS’ rapper boyfriend Drake is copping the brunt of the negative reaction on social media to her shock loss in the US Open semi-final.

Drake was cheering from the stands at Flushing Meadows as the Queen of Tennis tried to become the first woman since Steffi Graf in 1988 to win all four Grand Slam titles in a calendar year.

Williams was just two wins away from a calendar-year Grand Slam when she capitulated to unseeded Italian opponent Roberta Vinci.

Vinci pulled off such a stunning upset that many people were simply lost for words.

But as the realisation struck home that Serena’s run was over, the masses turned to blaming her woes on her rap- per boyfriend.

For those unfamiliar with Drake’s reputation with sports, he was appointed the Global Ambassador of his hometown NBA side, the Toronto Raptors in 2013, only for the team to be wiped out that season.

Then he was famously given a ceaseand-desist letter from the University of Kentucky basketball team, who he was supporting at the time, advising him to stop attending matches.

With Serena’s fall at the penultimate hurdle for the calendar-year Grand Slam, maybe the Drake-effect should be blamed. While some blamed Drake, many others acknowledged the sheer brilliance of Williams after such an incredible year. Tweets of support came from everywhere, including US f irst lady Michelle Obama. - Sydney Morning Herald.