Serena Williams on Ronda Rousey: ‘She was going for something totally different than I was’

Tennis great Serena Williams discussed Ronda Rousey during a pre-tournament press conference in Australia.

Back in November, approximately 56,000 fans in Melbourne witnessed the head kick that ended the enigmatic reign of then-women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey. Now months removed from that loss, another female sporting great arrived in Melbourne to defend her crown: Serena Williams.

During a scheduled media session ahead of the first of four annual Grand Slam events, the Australian Open, Williams quickly touched on Rousey’s loss and whether she considered them to be on similar paths.

“I definitely reached out to her,” Williams said during her pre-tournament press conference in Melbourne. “I mean, whenever you see someone in sport that’s doing really well, I love to see people do well, but, you know, I don’t think — the similarities I think were really different. She was going for something totally different than I was. I wouldn’t necessarily say it was the same path.”

Rousey had her own recollection of the 21-time Grand Slam great, who she referred to as “so awesome.”

“At first I was like, ‘Oh, my God, I’m so nervous.’ And then after a few minutes I was like, ‘This girl is so awesome!’ We handled some sushi,” Rousey told Yibada in October. “It was nice to be out with another cool woman who can handle some food.”

Rousey beat out Williams and Lindsey Vonn in mid-2015 to win the ESPY ‘Best Female Athlete’ award. Soon afterwards, Rousey lost her title to Holly Holm at UFC 193, while Williams failed to complete the Calendar Grand Slam at for the first time since 1988.

Tennis great Serena Williams discussed Ronda Rousey during a pre-tournament press conference in Australia.

Back in November, approximately 56,000 fans in Melbourne witnessed the head kick that ended the enigmatic reign of then-women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey. Now months removed from that loss, another female sporting great arrived in Melbourne to defend her crown: Serena Williams.

During a scheduled media session ahead of the first of four annual Grand Slam events, the Australian Open, Williams quickly touched on Rousey’s loss and whether she considered them to be on similar paths.

“I definitely reached out to her,” Williams said during her pre-tournament press conference in Melbourne. “I mean, whenever you see someone in sport that’s doing really well, I love to see people do well, but, you know, I don’t think — the similarities I think were really different. She was going for something totally different than I was. I wouldn’t necessarily say it was the same path.”

Rousey had her own recollection of the 21-time Grand Slam great, who she referred to as “so awesome.”

“At first I was like, ‘Oh, my God, I’m so nervous.’ And then after a few minutes I was like, ‘This girl is so awesome!’ We handled some sushi,” Rousey told Yibada in October. “It was nice to be out with another cool woman who can handle some food.”

Rousey beat out Williams and Lindsey Vonn in mid-2015 to win the ESPY ‘Best Female Athlete’ award. Soon afterwards, Rousey lost her title to Holly Holm at UFC 193, while Williams failed to complete the Calendar Grand Slam at for the first time since 1988.