NEW YORK (AP) — Serena Williams turned to Tiger Woods for his enter earlier than she made her latest comeback from a year-long harm absence. On Wednesday evening, Woods sat courtside on the U.S. Open, throwing uppercuts within the stands to cheer Williams on to victory.
“He’s one of many causes I’m right here,” Williams mentioned after beating No. 2 seed Anett Kontaveit 7-6 (4), 2-6, 6-2 to achieve the third spherical at Flushing Meadows in what could possibly be the final event of her profession. “One of many important causes I’m nonetheless enjoying.”
Woods was in Williams’ visitor field at sold-out Arthur Ashe Stadium, two seats over from her sister, Venus.
When Woods was proven on the overhead video screens throughout a break between video games, he obtained a heat welcome from the group and tugged on the brim of his cap to acknowledge the applause.
After the match, Woods tweeted: “It was a privelege to look at greatness. Congrats @serenawilliams”
Three weeks in the past, 23-time Grand Slam champion Williams introduced she was on the point of stroll away from her enjoying days by way of an essay in Vogue magazine. Within the piece, she mentioned she approached Woods — the proprietor of 15 golf majors who returned to motion after badly damaging his leg in a automotive crash— for recommendation when she was making an attempt to determine whether or not to return to enjoying after she was sidelined by an harm at Wimbledon in June 2021.
“He’s Tiger,” she wrote, “and he was adamant that I be a beast the identical means he’s!”
Requested Wednesday about Woods’ function, Williams mentioned: “We talked rather a lot. He was actually making an attempt to get me motivated.”
She continued: “I didn’t know what I wished to do. I used to be simply misplaced. So many questions. When you’ll be able to depend on somebody like that — I imply, my goodness, he’s Tiger Woods — it was actually useful to get readability.”
___
Extra AP protection of U.S. Open tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/us-open-tennis-championships and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
