A spark neglected makes a mighty fire! Even after 22 years, this fire still burns brightly inside American tennis legend, Serena Williams. Recently, during an episode of ESPN’s new docuseries, ‘In The Arena: Serena Williams,’ the 42-year-old tennis icon recalled a relationship that went sour early in her career. She shared how an ex-lover may have fueled the fire inside her, possibly serving as a catalyst for her incredible career. Fans have since started to express their pity for that ‘mystery man’!

Serena Williams married Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian in 2017, and the couple now shares two daughters, Olympia and Adira. A sweet family of four! Today, she has almost everything she wanted in life, but there was a time when she struggled with getting ‘ghosted.’ In the same docuseries, she revealed that when she was 20, a guy she was dating disappeared without any explanation.

Williams revealed, “It was a few days after the US Open final. I went to DC with my sister. I saw this guy that I’m dating so and so…I stayed at his house for a couple of weeks.” She further went on to add, “It was the first relationship that I had ever had, but I was in my 20s, so you know, whatever…and then he ghosts me, I got ghosted.” Serena Williams admitted it wasn’t even that serious but she used it as fuel, making it much more significant than it was.

She used it as an opportunity and said, “He’s gonna regret this for the rest of his life. That was just the motivation I needed, just the excuse I used to go the extra mile.” Williams wanted to ensure this person never forgot her and saw her everywhere for the rest of his life. Tennis gave her the chance to prove herself to the one who once “ghosted” her. She’s thankful for the sport, which has given her so much to cherish in life. But what do fans think about this poor guy?

Fans express their thoughts on Serena Williams’ ex-lover’s regretful decision

A Queen on and off the court! However, it took Serena Williams some time to find her real King. Here are some of the men she dated over the years before meeting Alexis Ohanian. Williams’ first public relationship dates back to 2000 when she was linked to NFL player LaVar Arrington. The couple reportedly split in April 2002. She was then linked with Brett Ratner, Common, her fellow tennis star- Grigor Dimitrov, her ex-coach Patrick Mouratoglou, and renowned rapper Drake. Let us know if we missed any names. Fans think whoever ghosted her is likely regretting it now, saying, “Oh I’m sure he’s broke now.”

In her book “On The Line,” Serena Williams spoke about an awful breakup, she had in the early days. She explained that feeling citing, “[This] guy tore my heart in half. Then he ripped those pieces and stepped on them and backed his car up over them. And the worst part was he left me thinking it was me.” Perhaps that’s the same guy who “ghosted” her. We’ve given a few names above, can you pick the ‘mysterious man’? Well, fans are happy to see Williams share this story with them publicly. “Lmao I’m so happy she told this story out loud. Catch it, lavar!!“ said the other fan.

Serena Williams has always believed a champion is defined not by their wins, but by how they recover when they fall. That was surely one of the lowest moments in her life. What she did afterward was truly remarkable, and that’s what defines “great athletes.” Another fan tweeted, “This is what makes great athletes great. They can turn anything no matter how small into motivation to achieve their goals.“

The 42-year-old tennis star was ranked world number one in singles for almost 319 weeks and has won 23 Grand Slam titles in her career. She is the only player to accomplish a Career Golden Slam in both singles and doubles. All thanks to that ‘mysterious man‘? Well, some of the fans call it, “Well shit… it worked. His loss was our gain.“ They are happy about what Williams has achieved throughout her career, perhaps even thankful to that man!

Serena Williams thinks, “Being strong is never easy” and she has also revealed, “I don’t have regrets. I don’t live in the past. I live in the present and learn not to make the same mistakes in the future.” She has now learned to love herself and has also managed to build a strong mentality over the years after facing a lot of hardships in her earlier days. And this is why fans hail her for drawing motivation from her lows as a “Girl boss move.”

Share your thoughts on this in the comment box, and let us know how big a fan are you of this superstar in the sports world.