He's New York's biggest tennis fan, and he loves Serena Williams: Academy Award-winning director Spike Lee shared a special message for the all-time great from Brooklyn's Fort Greene Park ahead of Day 1 of the 2022 US Open.
Fort Green Park, named for the Revolutionary War-era fort that was once located there, is now a hotbed of recreational tennis in New York City.
It's a park that Lee, a Brooklyn resident knows well, and plays at often.
And now, Williams' legacy—and that of Arthur Ashe, Althea Gibson and Venus Williams—is immortalized there on some of the park's benches thanks to his efforts. Etching their names there, Lee says, will no doubt inspire the next generation.
"I think of you as my little sister," Lee said. "Congratulations on all you've done. You're definitely one of the GOATs. I want to give love to your parents and your siblings, because they've helped you, too. ... Spreading love is the Brooklyn way."
