Yesterday, Serena Williams most probably played the last match of her career. She lost against the Australian tennis player Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round of the US Open. Since her loss, many celebrities and sporting personalities took to social media to congratulate her on an amazing career.

The 18-time Grand Slam winner, and possibly the only tennis player who could rival Serena in the GOAT debate, Martina Navratilova recently took to social media and paid homage to the great champion. However, she added an extra twist to her message, which might intrigue many fans.

Martina Navratilova is not ready to say goodbye to Serena Williams, just yet

Earlier, the former Czech-American tennis player, Navratilova, took to Twitter and wrote, “What a match, what an Open, what a career! Epic!!! But I won’t say goodbye until Serena says goodbye!!!“

Notably, Serena did joke about loving Australia at the press conference, which will certainly create speculation among fans and pundits about Serena’s potential return at the Australian Open in 2023. However, Serena did say that it’s tough for her to be a mom and do other things and play tennis at the same time.

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Earlier in Vogue magazine, she wrote an essay where she talked about ‘evolving away’ from tennis; however, she did not use the word retirement. So, there’s a slight chance of seeing the champion tennis player on the WTA tour in the future. She herself feels that she is still capable of winning matches.

Meanwhile, fans and experts have been arguing about the GOAT debate between Navratilova and Serena for a long time. Many feel that Navratilova played in a better era; whereas Serena played in an era where she dominated, unopposed. Despite the debate, both Navratilova and Serena have massive respect for each other and Navratilova expressed her feelings about Serena in her latest tweet.

Other athletes hail Serena after her last match at the US Open 2022

Yesterday, Serena lost a tough battle against the Aussie player Tomljanovic in three sets. After the emotional loss, many athletes took to social media and praised the 23-time Grand Slam champion. Notably, one of the greatest golfers ever, Tiger Woods, took to Twitter and called Serena, “the greatest on and off the court.”

One of the trailblazers in women’s tennis, Billie Jean King, sent an inspirational video message, where she called Serena “Fearless”. Along with her, one of the richest persons on earth, Bill Gates, also tweeted a heartfelt message for Serena.

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Olympians, Michael Phelps and Simone Biles, both congratulated the legendary American for inspiring the next generation. NBA superstar LeBron James took to Twitter and called Serena the “GOAT”. Apart from LeBron, many other NBA stars, including James Harden, Trae Young, Chris Paul, and others, also paid homage to the tennis star.

Who, according to you, is the greatest, Serena or Navratilova?