Serena Williams Gushes Over ‘Great Friend’ Meghan Markle After Wimbledon Loss: She’s ‘Always Positive’

In the wake of a difficult loss, Serena Williams knows she can turn to Meghan Markle for some optimism.

The tennis great competed in Saturday’s Wimbledon final in hopes of taking home her 24th Grand Slam title – a record that only Margaret Court has ever achieved.

But Serena missed her chance, falling short to Simona Halep of Romania in two sets.

In the press room after the match, Serena was asked about the Duchess of Sussex, who came to support her in the stands. The athlete used the opportunity to gush over Meghan’s sunny presence in her life.

“Just having her in general as a friend is great,” Serena told the room. “She’s such a great friend and a great person as well … and always positive, no matter what. It’s so good to have people like that.”

Serena also explained that their tight-knit bond didn’t stop Meghan from cheering on Simona in her victory.

“She’s such a fan of the sport, and she too is happy for Simona,” the runner-up said. “She saw that she played unbelievable, and that’s just the kind of person that she is.”

Like Meghan, Serena also took the high road when reflecting on her defeat.

“Today, I just think my opponent played unbelievably,” she said, commending her “lights-out” gameplay and pledging to compete in more non-Grand Slam tournaments to practice up ahead of this fall’s U.S. Open.

“I don’t know if there’s anything I could’ve done differently,” she later added. “I think I gave a great effort for this fortnight, and again, I just think Simona played her heart out. And if anything, I could just learn to be like that.”

Even before she became a royal, Meghan came out to support Serena at her big matches.

Back in September 2016, when her relationship with Prince Harry was still new (and not yet known to the public), the then-“Suits” star watched her friend beat Simona in the quarterfinals at the U.S. Open.

Actress Meghan Markle watching Serena Williams of the United States in action against Simona Halep of Romania in the Women’s Singles Quarterfinal match on Arthur Ashe Stadium on day ten of the 2016 US Open Tennis Tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 7, 2016 in Flushing, Queens, New York City. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)

When Serena lost to Germany’s Angelique Kerber in last summer’s Wimbledon final, the newly minted duchess was also there.

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend day twelve of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 14, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage )

Stars Hit Wimbledon 2019

View Gallery