Michelle Obama, Oprah and LeBron James among those paying tribute to Serena Williams after US Open defeat

msn.com:

Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey and LeBron James are among the stars to pay tribute to Serena Williams after she lost what could be her final match at the US Open. Williams, 40, had said she plans to "evolve away from tennis" and "grow her family" before losing to Ajla Tomljanovic in New York on Friday.

After an emotional commiseration speech, in which she paid tribute to her parents and sister Venus, celebrities and fellow sport stars thanked her for her outstanding contribution to tennis.

Former First Lady Michelle Obama tweeted: "Congrats on an amazing career @SerenaWilliams!"How lucky were we to be able to watch a young girl from Compton grow up to become one of the greatest athletes of all time. "I'm proud of you, my friend - and I can't wait to see the lives you continue to transform with your talents. "Talk show host Oprah Winfrey described her as a "shero" and a "legend forever", while former world number one Billie-Jean King said her career had "made its mark on tennis history".

Basketball legend LeBron James uploaded a video to social media, in which he labelled her a 'goat', which stands for 'greatest of all time'. "You're a goat," he said. "For what you've done for the sport, for tennis, for women, and just for the category of sport period is just unprecedented. "It's been an honour to watch your journey. "Fellow tennis player Ons Jabeur, who made history as the first Arab woman to reach a major tournament quarter-final, tweeted simply: "Thank you Serena".