Serena Williams: ’Tiger Woods is one of the main reasons I’m still playing’

US tennis legend Serena Williams has been a dominant player for decades, and Tiger Woods is part of the reason why she’s still playing in the US Open. 

US tennis legend Serena Williams has been a dominant player for decades. Whether people are tennis fans or not, she’s become a common household name because of her high level of success. According to D’Arcy Maine of ESPN, she revealed to Vogue that Tiger Woods is one of the main reasons why she decided to continue playing and prepare for the US Open this year.

Williams stated:

"“He’s Tiger, and he was adamant that I be a beast the same way he is! He’s one of the reasons I’m here, one of the main reasons I’m still playing. So we talked a lot. He was really trying to get me motivated. We were like, ‘Okay, we can do this together.’ It was good, because I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I was just lost, so many questions. When you can rely on someone like that, I mean, my goodness, he’s Tiger Woods. It was really helpful to get clarity.”"

Woods also shared his support publicly on Twitter. “It was a privilege to watch greatness,” Woods tweeted. He was also seen giving a fist pump for Williams as he sat in her box at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, NY.

After an unparalleled career on the court, Williams announced in August that she will be retiring after the 2022 US Open.

Serena Williams credits golf legend Tiger Woods for getting her back in the game

Williams undoubtedly changed the sport of tennis for the better. She holds many astounding tennis records, including the most Grand Slam titles in the Open Era (23), being the oldest Grand Slam champion and playing in three Olympic games. As American tennis star Andy Roddick recently put it, “there’s not a lot of firsts left for Serena.”

According to ABC 8, “multiple outlets reported that 2.7 million people tuned into ESPN for round one [of the US Open] Monday night, making it the most-watched first round of the tournament ever.”

Two nights later, Williams defeated her second-round opponent, Anett Kontaveit.

Williams is highly respected by fans and other professional athletes alike, including fellow tennis stars like Roddick and fellow GOATs like Woods. Williams has also been commemorated in her US Open campaign with a custom-designed outfit by Nike, a Gatorade ad narrated by Beyoncé, and a special message following her second-round win by none other than Oprah Winfrey. Williams has inspired an entire generation of athletes, including young American stars like Naomi Osaka, Coco Gauff and Francis Tiafoe.

Her retirement will be the end of an era, but her accomplishments will certainly be remembered for many more decades as she moves into a new stage of life focusing on motherhood and venture capitalism.