5 players who are close friends with Serena Williams ft. Caroline Wozniacki and Roger Federer 

Serena Williams has reigned over the world of tennis by winning almost every possible title and creating a long list of records. In addition to her 23 singles Grand Slam titles, the American won 14 doubles titles alongside her sister, Venus. Additionally, she held the World No. 1 ranking for 319 weeks and is one of only five tennis players to have achieved the Career Golden Slam.

While Williams has dominated and competed with the biggest names in tennis on the way to getting her name etched in the history books, she also formed bonds with a number of fellow tennis players on her way to the top.

Be it some of her rivals or her fellow World No.1s, here are a few tennis players who are close friends with the American tennis icon.

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#5 Rafael Nadal

Serena Williams has referred to fellow tennis player and friend, Rafael Nadal as her "booty sibling," in a tweet that resurfaced after the duo reunited for the 2024 Paris Olympics. She said:

"Me and Nadal are Booty siblings! We see cheek to cheek[.]"

She also wrote:

"Wow Nadal and his booty is killing it! he's amazing."

The two tennis stars have often been vocal about their appreciation and support for each other, amongst several other sweet moments. One such instance includes the time Nadal paid an emotional tribute to Williams after she announced her decision to "evolve away from tennis." He said (via India Today):

“She is one of the greatest sports [people] of all time. I feel lucky to share a tour for a long period of time with her. Of course, from a selfish point of view it’s sad that she’s leaving the tour but, on the other hand, we can’t thank her enough for all the things that she did for our sport."

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#4 Roger Federer

Serena Williams' dominance in the international tennis arena took place around the same time as when the Big Three dominated in the men's category. Unsurprisingly perhaps, she shares a great bond with most of its members, including Swiss legend Roger Federer.

Their careers went hand in hand, both being of similar age and having begun to create their respective marks in the sport around the same time. They even retired the same year and have been talked highly about each other.

Talking about the bond they had while dominating the WTA and ATP scene respectively, Federer said:

“I think with anybody, who played your sport, you have a bond, but even more so with somebody like Serena. We go way back. Played on the same courts. You won the same tournaments. You felt the same amount of pressure.

"It’s 15 years seeing each other, waiting for each other, for me to finish my match so she could play hers or vice versa. So, I mean, I’ve spent hours and hours watching Serena play, of course, and admiring what she’s done as well."

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#3 Victoria Azarenka

Serena Williams is good friends with Belarusian tennis player and former World No.1 Victoria Azarenka. The two have faced each other 23 times on court with Williams leading the head-to-head 18-5. However, despite the competition that they brought for each other, the two tennis stars are close friends.

Williams earned a gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics while Azarenka was the recipient of the bronze medal the same year. Additionally, they made history at the 2020 US Open semifinal as it was the first time that two women faced each other at this level in a tournament after becoming mothers.

Serena Williams (left) and Victoria Azarenka

After defeating Azarenka at Indian Wells in 2019, Williams talked about her bond with the Belarusian and facing her on court (via Vogue):

"I truly love her; she’s a really good friend. She’s a fellow mom and a former number one, just like me. It’s hard to play someone you’re so close with but it’s also really invigorating and cool.”

Similarly, prior to making her comeback in 2017, Azarenka talked about Serena's pregnancy and the possibility of facing her friend in the future (via India Today):

"I've been friends off the court with Serena for a long time and I'm very happy for her. First of all I was so happy when she said she was pregnant but when I first heard I thought, 'Oh my God, I'll never have the chance to play against her again.' I was a little sad.

"But it's incredible that she's coming back and I know that hopefully we'll face each other more times."

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#2 Grigor Dimitrov

Serena Williams has been close friends with Bulgarian tennis player Grigor Dimitrov for a couple of years now and the two have often been present to support each other during crucial matches.

The American was seen cheering for Dimitrov during his match against Andrey Rublev at the 2024 US Open. Additionally, she was also present to watch the Bulgarian in action against Alexander Zverev during the Miami Open this year when the former beat the latter to advance to the finals.

He later spoke about Williams' presence at the match and said (via ATP tour):

“She's amazing. We stay in touch. We nearly speak on a daily basis. She said, ‘I'm gonna come watch’. I was like, ‘Okay.’ It's always very humbling to have such a supporter in your corner and she came, we had a little chat.

He added, “I remember she was even here when I had my first Top 10 win. It was a very nice moment. I think we both remember that. It's friendship, man. I think this is the best part. Tennis is tennis, but, you know, we are all living our dream right now. I think the real life begins after, and I think we have managed to be such good and close friends after so many years.”

Serena Williams (left) and Grigor Dimitrov

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#1 Caroline Wozniacki

Having spent a major chunk of her life on the court, Serena Williams' best friend is also from the tennis world, a relationship that managed to thrive despite the rivalry. The inception of this relationship goes back to the time Caroline Wozniacki, the Danish tennis star first stepped foot into the tennis world and continued to flourish thereafter.

Williams and Wozniacki have faced each other 10 times and the latter has been able to get the better of the former only once. However, their friendship remained intact in spite of their on-court rivalry and rather branched out to the two being there for each other at all times.

One such instance includes the time, Wozniacki split from golfer Rory Mcllroy. The Danish star shared how Williams stayed by her during the tough time and said (via Vogue):

"And I am so glad I did. She wasn’t pitying me, like a lot of people were. I mean, it’s not like anyone died. I was in shock, but she was really helpful because she had been through it before. She didn’t sugarcoat it, and she didn’t look down on me. She was really there for me when I needed her the most, and that’s why I think our friendship is so strong now.”

Wozniacki also spoke about Williams at the US Open this year and said (via Tennis.com)

“I love hanging with her. I love talking to her. You know, I love the support that I get from her, as well. I was texting her earlier today and hoping that we'll have time to catch up.”

Williams too has been vocal about her friendship with the Danish tennis star and considers her to be one of her truest friends.