Serena Williams Shared a Heartfelt Tribute to Her "Selfless Friend" Meghan Markle

On March 7, the highly anticipated interview with Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, and Oprah Winfrey aired on CBS, the night before it airs in the United Kingdom. Unsurprisingly, the interview resulted in a number of revelations regarding the royal family and their obscene treatment of Meghan over the years, as they failed to support her on numerous occasions. Since the interview aired, a number of Meghan's friends have been sharing their support and defending her. Serena Williams was one of those friends, sharing a statement on Twitter after watching the two-hour interview.

"Megan Markle, my selfless friend, lives her life — and leads by example — with empathy and compassion. She teaches me every day what it means to be truly noble," Serena wrote. "Her words illustrate the pain and cruelty she's experienced.

"I know firsthand the sexism and racism institutions and the media use to vilify women and people of color to minimize us, to break us down and demonize us. We must recognize our obligation to decry malicious, unfounded gossip and tabloid journalism. The mental health consequences of systemic oppression and victimization are devastating, isolating and all often too lethal."

Read the full statement below.