Serena Williams bid farewell to tennis after being active for 27 years. She set a legacy for the upcoming generation of tennis players to look up to. However, not everyone had a liking for Williams. The American cyclist, Lance Armstrong, narrated one such incident in a podcast interview with the tennis legend, Chris Evert. He narrated his encounter with Serena Williams, and how it went completely different from how he had expected it.

There were a lot of perceptions about her and her sister, Venus Williams, and the former road racing cyclist had similar notions too.

Lance Armstrong’s meeting with Serena Williams went totally unexpected

The former road racing cyclist had met Serena Williams during a match. In an interview with Chris Evert, he narrated the incident, where he had met the 23-time grand slam champion. He said, “I was in a Los Angeles Lakers game a long time ago. She came walking and I don’t know why but it’s not like I didn’t dig her but it’s just that something was off.”

However, he made it a point that it was a long time ago. He said, “She is a lot more likable now than she was then.” He commented on her family and said, “That whole scene with her, her sister, and her father, they were j*rks to a lot of people.”

He remembered seeing her and his first reaction was, “Oh God, here comes Serena!” However, what she did next made Armstrong feel guilty later on.

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He said, “Serena sees me and just beeline straight over to me and like, ‘What’s up Lance!'” The former cyclist regretted forming that perception about her and said, “And I was like Oh I’m such a d**k.”

Williams’ influence on the world

Serena Williams has not made a name for herself only in the world of tennis. She has gone far beyond that. People around the world have taken inspiration from her resilience. The American legend, won her 23rd grand slam title at the 2017 Australian Open, when she was pregnant with her daughter, Olympia.

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The new generation of players consisting of top-tier players like Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, and Naomi Osaka, adore Serena Williams and aspire to be like her.