Serena Williams meets with former NASA astronaut Mike Massimino, leaves him in awe of her "wonderful personality" with her huge interest in space

Former NASA astronaut Mike Massimino was left in awe after meeting Serena Williams, whom he has "long admired." The former praised Williams' personality and revealed that the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion has a huge interest in space.

The star player has been attending numerous events and conferences of late, mainly representing her venture capital firm Serena Ventures, after bidding farewell to tennis at the US Open in September. She recently attended a Bank of America event, where she ran into Massimino.

The best-selling author of 'Spaceman' took to Twitter to express his sheer delight at interacting with Serena Williams, stating that meeting her "did not disappoint." Massimino then added that the sportswoman showed great interest when they spoke about space.

"Yesterday I had the pleasure to meet someone who I have long admired, Serena Williams, at a @BankofAmerica event. Meeting her did not disappoint, she is an amazing person with a wonderful personality, and a huge interest in space. I had a blast speaking with her!" Mike Massimino wrote on Twitter.

Williams recently joined fellow tennis player Rafael Nadal as a nominee for the People's Choice Awards' Game Changer of 2022. Williams returned to tennis at the 2022 Wimbledon championships after a year-long gap, before eventually announcing her decision to step away from the sport after the US Open.

The 41-year-old has been subtly hinting at a comeback to tennis and has clearly stated that she is "not retired," mainly because she does not want to call herself 'retired.'

"It wouldn't surprise me if she were suddenly back" - Angelique Kerber on Serena Williams

2022 US Open - Day 5

Angelique Kerber, who has defeated Serena Williams twice in Grand Slam finals, recently said that she would not be surprised if the American tennis great makes a comeback to the sport.

Kerber feels that the retirement decision is one of the toughest an athlete has to make and it is difficult to come to terms with not being at a high level toward the end of one's career. The German superstar also feels that Williams played well at the 2022 US Open.

"Everything is probably possible. But I can understand how difficult the decision is to stop your passion, with what you love," Kerber said during a recent interview with Bild.

She continued:

"That's not easy to replace and it's probably the hardest decision in an athlete's career, when you realize you can't get to the top level anymore, your body isn't coping as well and then the new generation comes along. Serena played well in New York."

"I don't know what's going on in her mind, but it wouldn't surprise me if she were suddenly back on the pitch."

Williams won two matches at the US Open, against Danka Kovinic and then world No. 2, Anett Kontaveit, respectively, before bowing out with a three-set loss against Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic. She also played doubles alongside her sister Venus Williams, with the duo losing in the opening round.