Serena Williams appeared to send a message to critics of friends Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

The tennis great hosted the ESPY Awards on Thursday, where Prince Harry received the Pat Tillman Award for Service. The honor is given to a person who upholds the legacy of the former Arizona Cardinals player who left the team to serve as a U.S. Army Ranger and was killed in combat in Afghanistan in 2004.

In her opening monologue, Williams sent an apparent message to those who have criticized the couple.

“Prince Harry and Meghan are here, let’s give it up for them,” Williams said. “But please, Harry and Meghan try not to breathe too much tonight because this is my night, and I don’t want to be overshadowed by the accusations that you two are taking up too much oxygen.”

Williams is close friends with the couple, who often watched her compete before her retirement in September 2022. Her remarks at the ESPY Awards seemed to take aim at accusations that they “overshadowed” other members of the Royal Family in the past.

More recently, Prince Harry came under fire after ESPN announced his reception of the Pat Tillman Award for Service. Tillman’s mother, Mary Tillman, called out ESPN for selecting him for the honor.

“I am shocked as to why they would select such a controversial and divisive individual to receive the award,” she told the Daily Mail in June. “There are recipients that are far more fitting. There are individuals working in the veteran community that are doing tremendous things to assist veterans.

“These individuals do not have the money, resources, connections or privilege that Prince Harry has. I feel that those types of individuals should be recognized.”