Tennis legend Serena Williams has faced countless battles on the court, but one of the most terrifying moments of her life had nothing to do with tennis. In a deeply emotional reflection, the 23-time Grand Slam champion revealed how the sudden death of her close friend, JR Ridinger, brought back painful memories of her own near-fatal health scare.
Ridinger, a successful entrepreneur and co-founder of Market America, passed away unexpectedly from a blood clot in 2022, just hours after posting a heartfelt tribute to Williams on social media, celebrating her performance at her final US Open.
Williams, still grappling with the emotional weight of his loss, recently took to social media to express just how deeply his passing affected her.
“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 wrote.
“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?”
Serena’s own life-threatening health crisis
Williams‘ brush with death came in 2018 after she gave birth to her daughter, Olympia. Although her pregnancy had progressed normally, complications arose during labor. Olympia’s heart rate dropped dangerously, forcing doctors to perform an emergency C-section.
While the surgery was a success and Williams was able to hold her newborn for the first time, things quickly took a turn for the worse. A pulmonary embolism-life-threatening blood clots in the lungs-struck her again, making it difficult for her to breathe.
Due to her past experience with blood clots in 2011, Williams immediately recognized the symptoms and alerted the hospital staff.
Her quick thinking ultimately saved her life, but the ordeal wasn’t over. Williams’ C-section wound later reopened due to heavy coughing, leading to further complications. Doctors then discovered a large hematoma in her abdomen, requiring multiple surgeries.
The tennis icon was bedridden for six weeks, unable to properly care for her newborn. The experience left her deeply shaken, and the tragic loss of JR Ridinger only reinforced how fragile life truly is.
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