One of the numerous reasons to get excited about the on-going US hard-court summer is to witness Serena Williams back in action after a disappointing run at the Wimbledon Championships last month. Serena, who was determined to continue playing on the WTA tour despite the setbacks, had decided to enter the tune-up events at Toronto and Cincinnati ahead of the US Open late this month.
As part of her US Open preparation, the American star played her opening-round match at the National Bank Open against Spain’s Nuria Parrizas-Diaz. Serena, who hasn’t been consistent in her appearances on the WTA tour, looked sloppy right at the start but her serve remained on-point and that gave her the edge over the Spaniard.
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The 23-time Grand Slam champion managed to get past Parrizas-Diaz to clinch the first set, 6-3. Naturally, when a player of Serena’s caliber is playing at an event, one can expect scores of fans throbbing the stadium and rooting for her victory.
Serena Williams’ husband and fans launch a new acronym to show their support for her at the National Bank Open 2022
The same took place today in Toronto as Serena’s fans, who are widely known as ‘Rena’s army’, joined the Center Court to support their favorite player. Alongside these fans, the American star gets herself another cheerleader in her husband and Internet entrepreneur, Alexis Ohanian.
Ohanian, who is quite active on social media, took to Twitter to show support for his wife.
Let's gooooooooo, mama pic.twitter.com/fmcjQiF33s
— AlexisOhanian7️⃣7️⃣6️⃣ (@alexisohanian) August 8, 2022
Also, another interesting thing that popped up during the match up was a new acronym that got attributed to Serena Williams. Normally, she is known as the G.O.A.T (Greatest Of All Time). But, Rena’s army have come up with a new name to call their favorite star and husband Alexis Ohanian is game for it.
In response to a fan’s live tweet from the stadium, Alexis commented, “Y’all the best. I see you with the GMOAT!’.
Y'all the best. I see you with the GMOAT!
— AlexisOhanian7️⃣7️⃣6️⃣ (@alexisohanian) August 8, 2022
To provide clarity to fans over what GMOAT is, Alexis tweeted another poster where Serena could be seen holding Olympia close.
For the uninitiated https://t.co/IQwOCcPQj4 pic.twitter.com/N3CGz52cku
— AlexisOhanian7️⃣7️⃣6️⃣ (@alexisohanian) August 8, 2022
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From his tweets, it’s evident that GMOAT means ‘Greatest Mother Of All Time’ and her fans have come up with an apt acronym for their favorite star. Coming to the match, despite having a clear edge over her Spanish opponent, Serena Williams appears to be struggling to find consistent momentum, especially on the return games.
Owing to her top-notch serve, she is able to close out games and has been able to remain competitive in the match so far. If Serena can get past the opening hurdle, she will definitely become a crucial threat for other ranked opponents in her half of the draw.
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In a match with a few bumps here and there, the 23-time Grand Slam successfully managed to run past Nuria Parrizas-Diaz in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4 and reach the second round at the National Bank Open. The American will now await the winner of the matchup between Belinda Bencic and Tereza Martincova.