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Ciara<\/a>\u00a0got the <\/span>2024 ESPY Awards<\/a> off to an exciting start! The 38-year-old singer opened Thursday’s show by donning a leather jumpsuit and performing an epic medley of her biggest hits.<\/span><\/p>\n Ciara — who opted for glowy makeup and wore her blonde hair down — wowed the audience with a mashup of “Goodies,” “Level Up” and “1, 2 Step.”<\/span><\/p>\n She danced across the stage, eventually earning a standing ovation from many of the top athletes in attendance.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Even host and pal\u00a0<\/span>Serena Williams<\/a> was impressed by Ciara’s performance. The tennis great, 42,\u00a0<\/span>opened her monologue<\/a> with a nod to the singer and her husband, <\/span>Russell Wilson<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n “I know a lot of congratulations are in order tonight, but I think I’ll start by congratulating\u00a0<\/span>Russell Wilson<\/a>, because, dang!” Williams quipped of the NFL quarterback, with whom Ciara tied the knot in 2016.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The superstar couple shares\u00a0Sienna, 7, Win, 4, and Amora, 7 months. Ciara is also mom to Future, 10, with her now-ex of the same name.<\/span><\/p>\n After Williams’ nod to Ciara and Wilson, 35, the evening’s host continued her monologue with references to <\/span>Taylor Swift<\/a> and\u00a0<\/span>Travis Kelce<\/a>, \u00a0<\/span>Will Smith’s Oscars slap<\/a>, and\u00a0<\/span>Prince Harry<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>Meghan Markle<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Williams ended her monologue by addressing the kids who were tuning into the show.<\/span><\/p>\n “Get up, get off the TikTok, work hard, find out how capable you are. Be great. Be so great they don’t want to believe in you and then be even greater,” she said, before joking of\u00a0<\/span>the ongoing rap beef<\/a>\u00a0between Kendrick Lamar and Drake, “After all of that, after\u00a0<\/span>all\u00a0<\/span><\/em>of that, still don’t pick a fight with Kendrick [Lamar].”<\/span><\/p>\n