Serena Williams says being ghosted by her first boyfriend inspired her to become a champion: 'He's gonna regret this'

Serena Williams revealed that a bad dating experience in her early 20s made her a better athlete. 

The retired tennis champ, who is widely considered one of the greatest players of all-time, admitted she was 'ghosted' by her first boyfriend. 

In an episode of the new ESPN docuseries, In The Arena: Serena Williams, she recalled spending 'a couple of weeks' in Washington DC with her then-beau.  

'It was the first relationship that I had ever had, but I was in my 20s, so you know, whatever … and then he ghosts me, I got ghosted,' she said, cryptically referring to the mystery man as 'so and so.' 

The 42-year-old explained that she used the experience to push her even harder on the court. 

'And it wasn't even that serious, but it was like I used that and I made it way more serious than what it was,' she said.

'So, when he ghosted me, I used that as an opportunity to say, "He's gonna regret this for the rest of his life." That was just the motivation I needed, just the excuse I used to go the extra mile.'

Williams even admitted that she could be 'vengeful' while describing how hard the ghosting inspired her to become a 23-time Grand Slam champion. 

'I'm gonna make sure that this person never forgets me. I'm gonna make sure that this person sees me everywhere for the rest of their life,' she said, before giving her ex a shoutout.  

'I'm grateful for it, so thank you,' she said.

The sporting icon later found love with Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, whom she wed in 2017. 

The couple now share two daughters, six-year-old Alexis Olympia, Adira River, who turns one in August.