Following in a long line of celebrities playing Nintendo games in wonderfully spacious, well-lit residences, tennis champ Serena Williams is the latest to feature in the company's series of lifestyle commercials advertising Switch and its software.

The twenty-three time Grand Slam singles title winner is the star of two cute thirty-second ads (both edited into a separate extended version above) which show her enjoying Just Dance 2021, the brand new Fitness Boxing 2: Rhythm and Exercise and, predictably, Mario Tennis Aces. As you can see, it's a fun little spot that's perfectly in keeping with the celebrity-filled ads we've come to expect from Nintendo.

Earlier in the year Serena and her similarly talented tennis-playing sister, Venus, participated in a $1 Million Mario Tennis Aces charity tournament along with other luminaries from the sport, plus influencers and generally famous people such as Karlie Kloss and... *checks notes*, ahh yes, Seal.

Born in 1981, Williams grew up in a golden gaming era and apparently enjoyed a Nintendo classic or two as a kid. As reported by WTA Tour at the time, Williams had this to say on the topic:

Obviously I played Super Mario Bros. growing up. I grew up in the age where we would blow into the cartridges to make sure that they worked! I’m just excited that this is a lot easier.

Funnily enough, Jon Cartwright — one of Nintendo Life's Triforce of lovely video producers, and a particular fan of Mario Tennis Aces — very recently investigated how easy it is to find online matches in this game (which launched back in June 2018) and several other older titles. As you'll know if you watched his video, Mario Tennis Aces is still alive and kicking, and with Williams showcasing the game over the holidays, we wouldn't be surprised to see a whole new influx of players before long.

Have you played any of the titles Serena partakes of above? Do you know why poor Derek is listed in her contacts as 'Trainer'? Is there anything that isn't improved with a few bars of Earth Wind and Fire? Let us know your thoughts on them below.

[source youtube.com]