Shaun White picks Serena Williams as one of his biggest female inspirations, calls her "incredible and hilarious"

In a recent Q&A session with fans, former American snowboarder Shaun White heaped praise on Serena Williams, describing her as one of the female athletes that inspired him the most. Calling her an "incredible and hilarious" person, White also recalled the time Williams hung out with him at a Halloween party.

"I would say Serena Williams. She is incredible, just how long her career has been and everything she represents and she's hilarious because we hang out sometimes, one time it was Halloween. She came to my party," said White.

Former World No. 1 Williams and White are great friends and have often cheered each other on during matches.

Apart from Williams, White also took the names of renowned American gymnast Kerri Strug, American Alpine ski racer Lindsey Vonn and American snowboarder Chloe Kim for "female athletes he looks up to."

"The first one that inspired me was Kerri Strug. She was in the Women's US Gymnastics and she injured her ankle and did the jump anyways to win the gold for America and her friends and that was crazy," mentioned White.

"Lindsey Vonn, legend, she's gone through so much in her career and just dominated, and then I would have to say Chloe Kim, you are a beast and you keep collecting golds and you are awesome," concluded the American former snowboarder.

Serena Williams has not played professional tennis since Wimbledon in 2021

Williams at the 2021 Wimbledon Championships

Williams was last witnessed on the court at the 2021 Wimbledon Championships, where she injured her leg and retired from her first-round encounter against Aliaksandra Sasnovich. Williams has not played a professional tennis match since.

Although she recently featured as a presenter at the Oscars, the 40-year-old is still not ready to return to the court.

Currently ranked 240th in the world, Williams' comeback date remains uncertain.