Twitter blames Drake for JINXING Serena Williams: Rumored new boyfriend of America's No.1 called out as bad luck as she loses bid for calendar-year Grand Slam to UNSEEDED Italian Roberta Vinci
- Serena Williams lost in her semifinal match to Roberta Vinci of Italy on Friday afternoon 2-6, 6-4, 6-4
- After the match a heartbroken Serena was seen leaving the stadium with rumored boyfriend Drake
- She was attempting to become the first woman since Steffi Graff to win the calendar-year Grand Slam, and match Graff's 22 Grand Slam singles titles
- Serena had won her previous four Grand Slam tournaments - including all three this year - and her last 33 matches in majors
- Vinci, who is unseeded, will now take on countrywoman and former roommate Flavia Pennetta in the final on Saturday
- Soon after Williams' loss on Friday, the hashtags 'blamedrake' and 'drakecurse' started trending on Twitter
Serena Williams lost the most heart-breaking match of her career during the U.S. Open on Friday, and the Internet has blamed her rumored new boyfriend, rapper Drake, for the loss.
Williams lost in her semifinal match to Roberta Vinci of Italy on Friday afternoon 2-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Soon after her bid for the first Grand Slam since 1988 came to a halt in shocking fashion, the hashtags 'blamedrake' and 'drakecurse' started trending on Twitter.
'Wherever Drake cheers, losing follows. The curse continues. #SerenaWilliams', one social media user shared on Friday.
'Drake jinxed Serena man,' another person wrote on Twitter.
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Serena Williams lost in her semifinal match to Roberta Vinci on Italy on Friday afternoon 2-6, 6-4, 6-4
Drake was seen exiting the stadium just minutes after Serena's loss on Friday
Soon after her bid for the first Grand Slam since 1988 came to a halt in shocking fashion, the Internet has blamed Drake for the loss
The hip-hop mogul, who stood in the stands rooting Williams on, had even before Friday developed a reputation as bad luck for teams and athletes. A Twitter user shared in a post that wherever Drake cheers, losing follows
One user wrote, 'Drake is the Jessica Simpson to Serena's Tony Romo. #BlameDrake' as hashtags 'blamedrake' and 'drakecurse' started trending on Twitter
'Drake jinxed Serena man, another user wrote on Twitter on Friday following Williams' U.S. Open loss
The popular theory blaming the rapper for her loss circulated on social media with several users taking hits at him.
'Drake is the Jessica Simpson to Serena's Tony Romo' one user wrote on Twitter followed with the hashtag 'BlameDrake'.
'Drake jinxed Serena man,' another user posted on the social media site.
The hip-hop mogul, who stood in the stands rooting Williams on, had even before Friday developed a reputation as bad luck for teams and athletes.
For example, Drake watched on as his favorite college team the Kentucky Wildcats, whose undefeated season ended in the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament against Wisconsin Badgers.
He has also been blamed for Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel's 'lackluster' career, the Seattle Hawk's most recent Super Bowl loss and for LeBron James’s cramps during his last year playing with the Heat, according to the Washington Post.
This is not his first time he has attended one her matches as he has been pictured previously during the Rogers Cup in 2011, but Williams won 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 against Zheng Jie.
Drake immediately hopped into a waiting car after making his exit
Serena exited just moments after Drake was seen getting into a car outside the stadium
Serena then got into the same car as Drake and the two were driven off
Drake made sure to stay inside the car hidden as Serena entered so the two could not be photographed together
Serena and Drake have yet to comment on their rumored relationship
Williams had won her previous four Grand Slam tournaments, including all three this year - the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon.
After the match a heartbroken Serena was spotted leaving the stadium with her rumored boyfriend Drake, with the two getting into the same car and driven away from the facility.
Serena did not even change before leaving, seeming to want to get out as quickly as possible following her loss.
Vinci, who is unseeded, will now take on countrywoman Flavia Pennetta in the final on Saturday.
Pennetta upset Simona Halep - the number two seed - earlier in the day.
Serena seemed to be well on her way to the final after blasting past Vinci in the first set, but the Italian began rallying better in the second set, and by the final games of the third Serena appeared exhausted on the court.
By the time Vinci hit her final winner - a volley at the net - Serena appeared ready to leave.
She graciously shook her opponent's hand before immediately leaving the stadium, waving to the fans as she made her exit.
Serena appeared to be having problems with her ankle during the match and had the trainer tend to her at one point.
This is not his first time he has attended one of her matches as he his pictured above during the Rogers Cup in 2011 in Toronto, Canada where she played against Jie Zheng of China. Williams won 4-6, 6-3, 6-3
The rapper has been blamed for being a bad luck for the Kentucky Wildcats, his favorite college team, whose whose undefeated season ended in the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament against Wisconsin Badgers (Drake pictured at the semifinal between the Wildcats and Badgers in April 2014)
Drake has also been blamed for Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel's 'lackluster' career and the Seattle Hawk's most recent Super Bowl loss (Drake pictured greeting Manziel in April 2014)
Serena, 33, had not lost in a major since Wimbledon in 2014 prior to her defeat on Friday, and had only lost two matches this season.
Serena kept things brief during her press conference following the match, saying; 'I don’t want to talk about how disappointing this is for me. If you have any other questions I’m open to that.'
She did compliment Vinci's performance during the match.
Vinci (above) celebrates after defeating Williams on Friday afternoon
Williams graciously congratulates Vinci following her win at the US Open
After blasting pass Vinci in the first set, Serena seemed to lose energy by the third
Serena kept things brief during her press conference following the match, saying; 'I don’t want to talk about how disappointing this is for me. If you have any other questions I’m open to that.'
Serena appeared to be having problems with her ankle during the match and had the trainer attend to her at one point
Serena seemed helpless to come up with answers to Vinci's long rallies at points during the match
'I thought she played the best tennis in her career,' Williams said.
'You know, she's 33, and you know, she's going for it at a late age. So that's good for her to keep going for it and playing so well.
'Actually, I guess it's inspiring. But, yeah, I think she played literally out of her mind.'
When asked about the pressure put on her by those hoping to see her win the Grand Slam, Serena said; 'I told you guys I don't feel pressure. I never felt pressure. I don't know. I never felt that pressure to win here. I said that from the beginning.'
The entire press conference lasted exactly three minutes.
Serena waved to her fans as she exited the court following her defeat
Vinci broke down in tears after her win, and then apologized to the crowd for defeating Serena
Following the match Serena told reporters that Vinci 'played out of her mind'
Serena had never lost a match - or a set - to Vinci prior to Friday, and defeated her just last month in Toronto
Rumored boyfriend Drake cheered Serena on during the match from a private suite, and some are now jokingly blaming her loss on him.
Serena was aiming to become the first woman since Steffi Graff in 1988 to win all four majors in the same calendar year.
She was also aiming to match Graff's record of 22 Grand Slam singles titles, the most of any player in the Open Era.
Prior to Friday, she had never lost to Vinci, who at 32-years-old is just a year younger than Serena.
What's more, she had never even lost a set to Vinci, and defeated her in Toronto last month.
Vinci apologized to the crowd after her victory.,
'For the American people, for Serena, for the Grand Slam and everything,' she said.
'But today is my day. Sorry, guys.'
She then added; 'It's an incredible moment for me. It's amazing. It's like a dream, you know? I'm in the final. I beat Serena. I think [it's] the best moment of my life.'
When asked later about how she managed to play so well, Vinci told reporters; 'In my mind, I say put the ball on the court. Don't think.
'Try to put all the ball on the court. Don't think about that Serena is in the other court. And run, you know, when you put the ball, run. Don't think and run. And then I won.'
Drake did not sit in Serena's box for the game and instead watched from a suite alongside singer Natasha Bedingfield
Serena's post-match press conference with reporters lasted just three minutes before she left the room
Serena was unable to generate her normal pace on the ball because of Vinci's slice
Vinci is now the lowest rank player to make the US Open final since Venus Williams in 1997
Serena managed an impressive 16 aces in the match
Vinci used her trademark slice expertly in the final two sets, making it near impossible for Serena to generate any pace on the ball and forcing her to play Vinci's game.
She grew increasingly frustrated during the contest, receiving a code violation at one point for smashing her racket.
Vinci now becomes the lowest ranked played to reach the finals of the US Open since 1997 - when Serena's sister Venus took on Martina Hingis.
Serena played her sister in the quarterfinals here in another three set match, pulling out that victory 6 - 3 in the third.
Vinci and Pennetta - who used to be roommates - played each other in the quarterfinals of the 2013 US Open, with Pennetta winning in two sets.
Serena's mother Oracene Price - who seldom comments on her daughters - admitted that she appeared to be felling the pressure of the Grand Slam bid
Despite a high number of unforced errors - 40 to Vinci's 20 - Serena had a good day, hitting 50 winners and winning 93 points, more than her opponent who had 80 for the match
Serena's coach Patrick Mouratoglou said that she did not appear to be herself when he spoke to her earlier in the day
An ecstatic Vinci is greeted by her family and coaches in the stand after her stunning defeat of Serena
Speaking with ESPN, Serena's mother Oracene Price - who seldom comments on her daughters - admitted that she appeared to be felling the pressure of the Grand Slam bid.
Her coach Patrick Mouratoglou added that she did not appear to be herself when he spoke to her earlier in the day.
Despite a high number of unforced errors - 40 to Vinci's 20 - Serena had a good day, hitting 50 winners and winning 93 points, more than her opponent who had 80 for the match.
She did suffer four breaks of serve, but also managed to break Vinci four times as well.
Serena also had four double faults, which were balanced out by her 16 aces.
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