Tennis great Serena Williams will host the 2024 ESPYS.

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Williams, 42, a 23-time women’s Grand Slam singles champion, will host the ceremony on July 11 at 8 p.m. EDT from The Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. The annual show celebrates the best in sports.

“I couldn’t be more excited to host The ESPYS,” Williams said in a statement. “This is a dream come true for me, and something I’ve wanted to do for as long as I can remember. It has been a sensational year for sports and an unprecedented one for female athletes. … I can’t wait to celebrate everyone on-stage in July.”

ESPN announced Williams as host during Disney’s upfront presentation to advertisers on Tuesday, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Williams becomes the fourth woman to host the awards ceremony.

Megan Rapinoe, Sue Bird and Russell Wilson co-hosted the 2020 show, which was virtual because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Danica Patrick was the first woman to host the event in 2018, according to ESPN.

Last year’s show was held without a host, in part because of the Writers Guild Strike, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Williams has won 12 ESPYS during her tennis career, ESPN reported. Williams retired after the 2022 U.S. Open.

Williams’ hosting duties will come a day after the premiere of the ESPN+ original series, “In the Arena: Serena Williams,” an eight-part series that will chronicle her career, ESPN said in a news release.

“In a year where women’s sports are being watched and celebrated like never before, it is a perfect fit to have perhaps the greatest female athlete of all time host The ESPYS,” Kate Jackson, vice president of production for ESPN, said in a statement. “Given Serena’s spectacular on-court achievements and her overall cultural impact, she’ll bring elite star-power and dynamic energy as host of the show. We are thrilled to work with her to shape a powerful and entertaining show celebrating the best moments in sports this year.”

The show will air live on ABC.

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Through the years 1990: Serena Williams and her sister Venus Williams stand with former president Ronald Reagan at a tennis camp in Florida. Mandatory Credit: Ken Levine /Allsport (Ken Levine/Getty Images)

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