Lewis Hamilton quite recently cited Serena Williams as his biggest inspiration for this season. Hamilton has long since admired the tennis star, and it has forged a delightful friendship between the two.
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A testament to this friendship is the remarkable instance a few months ago when both Williams and Hamilton pledged contributions to buy the English Premier League club, Chelsea.
Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich put Chelsea on the market in early March 2022. Sir Martin Broughton led the bid, followed by other consortiums in the running.
Then came the surprise of F1 star Lewis Hamilton and tennis legend Serena Williams teaming up to enter the bidding war.
According to Sky Sports, Serena Williams and Lewis Hamilton each contributed $13 million to Sir Martin Broughton’s Chelsea bid.
Quite a big commitment, especially since Lewis Hamilton is well-known as an Arsenal fan going by his tattoo of the team. However, it was not fated to be. Todd Boehly and the Clearlake Consortium successfully completed the Chelsea takeover.
Although the deal did not go through in their favor, it is a testament to his friendship with Serena that he leaped into the opportunity with her.
Lewis Hamilton finds inspiration for 2022 in Serena Williams
This is not the only example of Serena and Lewis’ friendship. In her TIME magazine feature, Williams mentioned Hamilton as her first contender for who she would consider the top five GOATs of all time.
.@serenawilliams shares some of her GOATs:
She lists @LewisHamilton first and foremost.
“I think LeBron (@KingJames) is amazing, I think @TigerWoods is amazing. You can’t start this conversation without naming the original, Michael Jordan” https://t.co/JVZtpGGNne pic.twitter.com/plYjSe7tFn
— TIME (@TIME) August 29, 2022
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They mutually reciprocated their admiration, as the Mercedes driver has cited her as his inspiration on multiple counts.
Most recently, in an interview, Hamilton talked about going through a rough season and brought up Serena, “I take a lot of inspiration from other athletes, like watching Serena. Seeing everything she’s gone through and in conversations, just the way she’s pulled herself back up and the great performances… she is just such a warrior and she’s my inspiration right now.”
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Serena Williams is a friend and a hero to Lewis Hamilton, and no doubt, he would follow her lead anywhere. One can only aspire to have such a bond across sports.