After playing in what appears to be the last match of her career, Serena Williams is getting tributes from the dozens of people she has inspired throughout her career. Williams, who was eliminated after losing to Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round of the U.S. Open on Friday, announced recently that this would be the last tournament of her legendary career.

Fans, family, friends and well-known figures around the world expressed their gratitude for Williams after she came up short in the thrilling match on Friday. President Joe Biden is among those who has honored the retiring superstar.


“Serena Williams, you’re an inspiration, a champion of all time. Thank you for dreaming, daring, and proving that anything is possible,” Biden tweeted.

Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton also went to Instagram to dedicate a tribute to Williams.

“Taking a moment before the race today to show my appreciation and gratitude to the greatest of all time, Serena williams,” Hamilton wrote. “We will never see another Serena. She’s one of a kind. She came through like a wrecking ball and has been so spectacular to witness. She has such fierceness, power, and strength in both body and mind. To be so bold, Black, brave and, above all, a kind and caring human being is beautiful.”

 

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LeBron James honored the tennis legend with a video message

“Serena, [it’s] LeBron here,” James said. ‘Wow, where do I start? First of all, I can start by just saying congratulations to you, to an unbelievable career. You’re a GOAT. What you’ve done for tennis, what you’ve done for women and what you’ve done for the category of sport, period, is unprecedented.”

Tiger Woods went to Twitter to honor Williams.

“You’re literally the greatest on and off the court. Thank you for inspiring all of us to pursue our dreams. I love you little sis!!!!!!,” Woods wrote.

Former First Lady Michelle Obama said she’s looking forward to seeing the next step for Williams.

“Congrats on an amazing career,” Obama wrote. “How lucky were we to be able to watch a young girl from Compton grow up to become one of the greatest athletes of all time. I’m proud of you, my friend—and I can’t wait to see the lives you continue to transform with your talents.”

As Blavity previously reported, Williams announced her retirement in August when she spoke with Vogue.

“There is no happiness in this topic for me.” she told Vogue. “It’s the hardest thing that I could ever imagine. I hate it. I hate that I have to be at this crossroads. I keep saying to myself, I wish it could be easy for me, but it’s not. I’m torn: I don’t want it to be over, but at the same time I’m ready for what’s next.”