Serena Williams’ Third Round U.S. Open Exit Hurts Triple H-led WWE in a Major Way

41-year-old tennis legend Serena Williams has been winning matches and hearts for a long time. In fact, this year’s U.S. Open marks the athlete’s final one before she retires.

Williams has made her mark on sporting history – with the second highest number of Gram Slam wins in women’s tennis (23), this year’s U.S. Open was the center of everyone’s attention. However, this meant some other favorites did not get as many views.

One such show was one of WWE’s staples – WWE RAW has been running since 1993, and is one of the hallmarks of pro wrestling. The mere mention of the name RAW may evoke fond memories and incredible moments in any fan’s mind.

Ever since Triple H took over as WWE’s Head of Creative, viewership has skyrocketed. However, it will surprise fans to know that the show experienced a slight dip in its audience last week.

How did Serena Williams affect the WWE’s viewership?

There are many factors that contributed to the reduced viewership for RAW- it was Labor Day, and it was after a pay-per-view, ‘Clash at the Castle.’ However, William’s U.S. Open exit did significantly affect the viewership.

Read More: ’My Toe Was Kind of Hanging ‘- Serena Williams on Her Career-Threatening Injury

Dave Meltzer revealed WWE RAW was sixth on the cable ratings and AEW Dynamite was 13th. Excluding major sports shows like the U.S. Open and college football, which dominated the top 10, RAW was first, HBO’s ‘House of the Dragon was second and Dynamite was third.

Williams had a spectacular run at the Open this year, but her stint had an unfortunate end as No. 46 Ajla Tomljanovic defeated her and won 7-5, 6-7(4), 6-1. She took a bow on the same court where she won her first Grand Slam in 1999 and gave a powerful speech.

Williams retires from tennis

A teary-eyed Williams told those gathered to watch her perform. She thanked her fans who supported her for decades. However, she especially mentioned her parents and sister, Venus Williams as they heavily contributed to her success.

Williams suggested she was reluctant to take the step to move on from the sport. In fact, she even avoided conversations around the topic. She acknowledged the difficulty of the decision and stated that she favored the word ‘evolution’ over ‘retirement’ in the essay.

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What do you think about Serena Williams’ tennis career? Let us know in the comments.