Serena Williams has fought some legendary battles on the court—her three-set thriller against Victoria Azarenka in the 2012 US Open final, her miraculous comeback from match points down against Kim Clijsters at the 1999 US Open, or the 2015 French Open semifinal where she battled flu and Timea Bacsinszky to keep her Calendar Slam hopes alive. Nevertheless, one of the toughest moments of her career had nothing to do with a match.
At her farewell US Open in 2022, Serena received an outpouring of tributes, but none more poignant than from her close friend JR Ridinger, who watched her triumph and celebrated it with a social media post! But Serena never imagined that JR Ridinger’s heartfelt message would be his last. A tribute to her greatness, shared in the glow of her final US Open, turned into a bittersweet moment of farewell. How could anyone have known that mere hours later, he would tragically pass away from a sudden blood clot? That episode still haunts the 23-time Grand Slam champion, who disclosed she almost died of the same thing.
Serena took to social media to share his feelings. She wrote on X, “At my last US Open, a good friend of mine JR Ridinger posted his last ever post here on Instagram. Of course at the time none of us knew that it would be his last – but it was about me and how proud he was of me in my final tournament. He had stayed up to watch me win a great battle,” she reflected.
“The next day, I got news that he had passed due to a blood clot. This was super triggering to me because I myself almost died of the same thing. Only because it was caught in time. What made me so fortunate and not others? I was flooded with emotions and all the moments we spent together with his wife one of my best friends, Loren Ridinger. ” she added.
At my last US Open, a good friend of mine JR Ridinger posted his last ever post here on IG. Of course at the time none of us knew that it would be his last – but it was about me and how proud he was of me in my final tournament. He had stayed up to watch me win a great battle.…
— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) January 28, 2025
Serena faced a life-threatening situation when she gave birth to her daughter Olympia. The first part of her pregnancy went normal. However, her daughter’s birth took an unexpected turn as the baby’s heart rate dropped, forcing doctors to perform an emergency C-section. The operation succeeded, and Serena held Olympia for the first time, feeling overjoyed. But then things again took a fall for the worse. A pulmonary embolism—a condition she had overcome before—struck again, making it hard for her to breathe.
She told the nurses. This quick thinking saved her life. A series of problems followed: her C-section wound opened up because of heavy coughing. Doctors found a large hematoma in her abdomen, and she needed several surgeries. Serena stayed in bed for six weeks unable to take care of her newborn, but thankful to be alive, unlike her late friend JR Ridinger.
Ridinger was 63 when he died. Ridinger was a visionary entrepreneur and Miami socialite, who built Market America from the ground up, turning it into a global multi-level marketing empire. For decades, he brought household products, wellness supplements, and beauty essentials into countless homes.
Grief has a way of reshaping the strongest among us and For Loren Ridinger, the wife of Mr Ridinger it was a devastating blow, but she found a way to move forward penned out in her book which Serena called ‘must read’.
Serena Williams on Loren Ridinger’s path to healing
Serena Williams knows a thing or two about bouncing back after losing their close ones. The 43-year-old lost his elder sister, Yetunde Price, who was murdered in a drive-by shooting case in 2003. The shooting took place just blocks from where Serena Williams first gripped a racket, the same courts where her journey to greatness began. Williams, who had bounced back to become one of the greatest tennis player alive with 73 career titles (5th highest) had a moment of appreciation for Loren Ridinger’s book; about bouncing back.
Serena wrote on X, ” How do we move forward? How do we keep going? It was a devastating setback. In this amazing book, Loren discovers how to continue to live your best life after losing your greatest love. It’s something she still deals with today, but we know that JR would be so proud of her. Congrats @lorenridinger. This is indeed a MUST READ.
What inspires you most about Serena Williams? Her 23 Grand Slam titles, her relentless spirit, her fight through adversity from near-death experiences to breaking barriers in a sport that wasn’t built for her? Or is it using her platform to uplift communities and champion women’s rights? Or it is all?
The post ‘Almost Died of the Same Thing’—Serena Williams Opens Up on ‘Devastating’ Moment in Emotional Tribute to Late Friend appeared first on EssentiallySports.