Serena Williams beats Rafael Nadal, LeBron James and Steph Curry to win People's Choice Game Changer Award
Serena Williams reigned supreme at the 2022 People's Choice Awards, taking home the honor of the 'Game Changer' of the year. The 23-time Grand Slam champion received the maximum number of votes from fans to beat out the likes of Rafael Nadal, LeBron James and Steph Curry.
Also nominated in the category were Megan Rapinoe, Russell Wilson, Chloe Kim and Nathan Chen. Interestingly, Serena Williams' long-time friend Meghan Markle was also a winner on the night, receiving the award for the 'Pop Podcast' of the year for her podcast titled 'Archetypes.'
Williams was the first guest on the show, one that has since hosted several prominent celebrities like Mariah Carey, Paris Hilton and Trevor Noah, among others.
To win the award, Markle had to overcome competition from Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend, Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard, Call Her Daddy, Not Skinny But Not Fat, SmartLess and Why Won't You Date Me? With Nicole Byer.
Besties winning together 🥺❤️
The Game Changer of 2022 : Serena Williams
The Pop Podcast of 2022 : Archetypes - Meghan Markle
#PeoplesChoiceAwards https://t.co/4L65zk6Koa
Serena Williams' People's Choice Award win no surprise considering she is the most-tweeted-about female athlete of all-time
The fact that Serena Williams was crowned the 'Game Changer' of the year by fans and the general public should come as no surprise, considering that she is the most-tweeted-about female athlete in history.
Following her retirement earlier this year, Twitter made the announcement, adding that almost three-quarters of those who tweeted about her during the course of the tournament hadn't spoken about her all year previously. Williams' swansong at Flushing Meadows lasted three matches, where she beat Danka Kovinic and then World No. 2 Anett Kontaveit before bowing out with a nerve-wracking three-set loss against Ajla Tomljanovic.
The farewell ceremony at the end of the contest got the better of the American emotionally, who couldn't hold back her tears in the face of the overwhelming love and affection she received from fans around the globe.
After thanking her parents, sister Venus Williams, husband Alexis Ohanian and daughter Olympia, the former World No. 1 extended her gratitude to everyone who helped her get to the stage, adding that she wouldn't have been able to achieve so much if not for them.
"It's been a fun ride. It's been the most incredible ride and journey I've ever been on, I mean, in my life. I'm just so grateful to every single person that's ever said, Go, Serena, in their life. I'm just so grateful. Yeah, I mean, you got me here," Williams said.
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