"You’re literally the greatest" - Tiger Woods pens an inspiring message for Serena Williams post her US Open exit  

Serena Williams’ long and illustrious career came to an end on Friday. The 40-year-old bowed out in the third round of the US Open with a 7-5, 6-7(4), 6-1 loss to Australian Ajla Tomljanovic.

Ahead of the Canadian Open last month, Williams had announced that she would call it a day following the US Open.

Social media was flooded with tributes and farewell messages for Serena Williams as she played her final match at the Arthur Ashe Stadium. Many, including friends, fans and rivals, came forward to laud the athlete for a great career and thanked her. Among them was Williams’ good friend Tiger Woods.

Serena Williams at the 2022 US Open (Image: Getty)

Taking to his social media, Woods lauded Williams and thanked her for inspiring people.

In an adorable message on Twitter, the ace golfer called Williams his “little sis” and the “greatest”, captioning it:

“@serenawilliams 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!!!!!!”

It is pertinent to note that Tiger Woods was in attendance during Williams’ second-round match on Wednesday. Woods arrived at the stadium with his partner Erica Herman and watched the match along with Williams’ sister Venus in the tennis star’s corner. Woods was a lively presence in the crowd.

Following the match, he had penned on Twitter:

“It was a privilege to watch greatness."

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Tiger Woods’ friendship with Serena Williams

Woods and Williams have a healthy friendship, sharing mutual respect and admiration for each other. The tennis star reiterated the same during her post-match press conference following her second-round win at the US Open.

Williams revealed that she had consulted the golfer as she was initially considering retirement. She gave insight into Woods’ role in her career and said that she wouldn’t be where she was if it wasn’t for the legendary golfer.

“He's one of the reasons I'm here, one of the main reasons I'm still playing," she said. "So, we talked a lot. He was really trying to get me motivated. There's a few people, but we were like, ‘Okay, we can do this together,’ you know?"

"It was good because I didn't know what I wanted to do. I was just lost, so many questions," she added. "When you can rely on someone like that, I mean, my goodness, he's Tiger Woods, it was really helpful to get clarity.”

Serena Williams had reached the third round of her final US Open after beating World No. 2 Anett Kontaveit. This was the first time Williams entered the third round of a Major since 2021 Roland Garros. Just weeks away from her 41st birthday, Williams ended her illustrious career after putting up a fight against Ajla Tomljanovic.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion was given an ovation after losing the match. Addressing the packed Arthur Ashe Stadium, Serena Williams thanked her family, especially her parents and sister Venus Williams, along with her fans.

While the interviewer tried to coax Williams into reconsidering her decision to retire, the six-time US Open winner said that she didn’t know what the future held for her.