UFC commentator and podcaster Joe Rogan recently expressed his surprise upon seeing footage of President Donald Trump rallying on the tennis court with tennis legend Serena Williams.
The exchange took place in April 2015 during an opening event at Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia. The incident caught Rogan’s attention, prompting a lively discussion about Trump’s athletic abilities.
“Did you see him play tennis with Serena Williams?” Rogan asked his guest during the podcast. When his guest indicated he hadn’t, Rogan enthusiastically described the scene: “He took his shoes off. He was playing tennis with Serena Williams.”
Rogan’s surprise was evident as he elaborated on what he witnessed in the footage. “They’re volleying back and forth,” he explained, seemingly impressed by Trump’s tennis form.
When questioned about whether Trump was actually running on the court, Rogan defended what he saw: “He plays tennis, man. He can play tennis. Like, the guy plays tennis.”
Rogan, admitting his own lack of tennis expertise, still recognized competence when he saw it. “I don’t know how to play tennis, so I don’t know if it looks good. But I’m looking at him hit the ball. It looks like he’s doing it the right way,” he remarked, adding self-deprecatingly, “He doesn’t look like me if I was doing it. I’d be a mess. I don’t know how to play tennis.”
The podcast conversation then turned to analyzing the footage itself, with Rogan noting Serena’s approach: “Oh, that’s a nice gentle serve.” He observed that despite Williams clearly taking it easy on the president, Trump was “firing back” impressively.
The tennis exchange occurred during the opening of a Trump-backed tennis facility at his Virginia golf club, months before he would announce his 2016 presidential bid. Serena Williams was present as a special guest for the facility’s opening. She reportedly praised the venue, calling it “the best one I’ve ever seen.”
During the event, Trump introduced Williams as “a true champion” and “the greatest of all time,” according to local news reports from that day.
It seems like the unexpected tennis skills displayed by Trump in the video left Rogan genuinely surprised and intrigued.
