‘I Honestly Didn’t Think We Would Be Friends’- Serena Williams Opens up About the First Time She Met Tiger Woods

Serena Williams and Tiger Woods are arguably two of the greatest athletes of their respective sports. Serena is a former world No. 1 and the winner of 23 Grand Slam titles. Tiger Woods is also a former World No. 1 and has a record 882 PGA Tour wins to his name. So, what does it look like when one legend candidly speaks about the other legend? Let’s have a look

Recently, Serena Williams featured in the video by PGA Tour. The video was about what separates Tiger Woods from other golfers. In the video, Serena spoke about the fellow American athlete, being in awe of his achievements and the aura the golfer has created in a two-decade-long career.

What did Serena Williams say about the legendary golfer?

In the video posted by the official Twitter handle of the PGA Tour, Serena called Tiger’s hard work the reason for his success in the sport. Appreciating Tiger’s hard work, Serena said, “Hard Work is the epitome of why Tiger is so good at what he does.”

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Being the best has been a long-time life mantra for Serena Williams. The 40-year-old is arguably the best player in the history of women’s tennis. Being a top player, she also thinks of people who are the best in whatever they do. Tiger Wood is surely one of them. “I think of people who are the best at what they do,” Serena said referring to Woods.

It’s always great to see two legends of the sporting world meet each other. One such meeting was when Serena Williams met Tiger Woods for the first time. Recalling their first meeting, Serena, who initially thought that she cannot be friends with Woods, tells us what made her connect with him. “When I first met Tiger, I honestly didn’t think we would be friends,” she said. “I was just honestly in awe with him. Like he is Tiger Woods. He was competing against everyone and he looked like me,” she further added.

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Just like the whole world, Serena also addresses Tiger Woods as a champion. But what does Serena admire the most about the golfer? It’s his mental strength and his ability to win. Elaborating on the most admiring thing about Tiger, Serena said, “One thing that I admire the most about Tiger is his mental strength and his ability to win. Win on one leg or win when you are feeling awful. That’s a real champion.”

In the video, Serena was also accompanied by a few other sporting icons like Michael Phelps, Annika Sorenstam, Jerry Rice, and Jack Nicklaus.

Serena is nowhere to be seen on the tour

Serena Williams had an injury-hit 2021. The former World No. 1 started her 2021 season with a shoulder injury just before her semifinal clash with Ashleigh Barty at the WTA 500 Yarra Valley Classic. Recovering from that injury, she made a comeback at the Australian Open, reaching the semifinals. In the semifinals, she was outplayed by Naomi Osaka.

The phase of loss was not over yet, the American further faced two second-round losses, first in Rome and the second in Parma. She next entered the 2021 Roland Garros. Playing confidently, Williams sailed through the first three rounds of the clay-court Major. However, her run came to a halt in the fourth round, when she was beaten by Elena Rybakina.

Managing her schedule, Williams opted not to participate in any lead-up events to the Championships, Wimbledon. At Wimbledon,  the 7-time champion faced a hamstring injury in her first-round match, forcing her to retire not only from the tournament but also from the remainder of the season. Even though there’s no update on Serena’s return to the tour, fans around the world are hopeful that the champion will soon return to the tour and once again rise her way to the top.