Serena Williams opens up about health scare after friend’s sudden passing

ennis 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?”