Hugh Jackman Call Serena Williams a ‘True Inspiration’ as He and Wife Cheer Her on at U.S. Open

Serena – Deb and I are so excited to watch you play and bear witness to your evolution for many years to come. You are an icon and a true inspiration to boys and girls around the world.

Hugh Jackman Instagram

Hugh Jackman and his wife Deborra-Lee Furness headed to the U.S. Open in style!

On Monday, Jackman, 53, shared a sweet photo of himself and Furness, 66, to Instagram, the pic snapped as the two posed together on a staircase of a water-view apartment before attending the famed tennis tournament.

In the pic, Jackman wore a dapper navy blue patterned suit and a white button-up shirt. He balanced the look off with black sneakers.

Furness, meanwhile, was by his side smiling as well and fashionably chic in an all-white ensemble. She accessorized her look with brown wedges and completed the ensemble with blue sunglasses.

In the caption to his post, the Wolverine actor addressed Serena Williams’ star power.

“Off to the @usopen to watch the one and only @serenawilliams. Serena — Deb and I are so excited to watch you play and bear witness to your evolution for many years to come. You are an icon and a true inspiration to boys and girls around the world,” he wrote, adding the fitting hashtag “#GOAT.”

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Australian actor Hugh Jackman (C) and US actor Anthony Anderson (R) attend the 2022 US Open Tennis tournament women’s singles first round match between US player Serena Williams and Montenegro’s Danka Kovinic at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York, on August 29, 2022. – Serena Williams was set to take center stage as the US Open got under way on August 29, 2022 with the 23-time Grand Slam winner preparing to bid an emotional farewell to tennis. (Photo by COREY SIPKIN / AFP) (Photo by COREY SIPKIN/AFP via Getty Images)

COREY SIPKIN/AFP via Getty

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Jackman and Furness were just two of many recognizable faces at the star-studded tennis event in Flushing, Queens.

Other stars in attendance included Ashley Graham, Gayle King, Katie Couric, Lindsey Vonn, Vera Wang, Anthony Anderson, Martina Navratilova, Mayor Eric Adams, Rebel Wilson, Anna Wintour, Sela Ward, Gladys Knight, Anika Noni Rose, Diplo, Mike Tyson, Naomi Osaka, Spike Lee, Queen Latifah, Billie Jean King, Bella Hadid, Offset and former President Bill Clinton — who was seen sitting next to Dr. Ruth Westheimer.

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All were there to watch Williams, 40, in what she has said is the final professional tournament of her extraordinary career.

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She was victorious in her first match, defeating Montenegro’s Danka Kovinic, 6-3, 6-3.

US player Serena Williams reacts after winning a point against Montenegro’s Danka Kovinic during their 2022 US Open Tennis tournament women’s singles first round match at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York, on August 29, 2022. – Serena Williams was set to take center stage as the US Open got under way on August 29, 2022 with the 23-time Grand Slam winner preparing to bid an emotional farewell to tennis. (Photo by COREY SIPKIN / AFP) (Photo by COREY SIPKIN/AFP via Getty Images)

COREY SIPKIN/AFP/Getty Serena Williams

Earlier this month, 23-time Grand Slam champion made headlines earlier this month when she announced plans to step away from her nearly 27-years-long professional tennis career after the U.S. Open, her next and possibly final chance to capture her 24th Grand Slam victory and tie Margaret Court’s record.

Rather than call it “retirement,” she wrote in a first-person essay for the September cover of Vogue that she was beginning an “evolution” away from tennis.

“I have never liked the word retirement,” she wrote. “It doesn’t feel like a modern word to me. I’ve been thinking of this as a transition, but I want to be sensitive about how I use that word, which means something very specific and important to a community of people. Maybe the best word to describe what I’m up to is evolution.”

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In the cover story of TIME’s latest issue, Williams how the shifting priorities in her life — particularly her desire to grow her family — led to her decision. She even admitted that her daughter Olympia, who turns 5 this week, was “fist-pumping ‘Yes!'” when she learned her mother would be available more.

“It’s hard to completely commit when your flesh and blood is saying, ‘Aw,'” Williams shared. “I’m ready for the transition. … I think I’m good at [being a mom], but I want to explore if I can be great at it.”

Alexis Ohanian, husband of Serena Williams of USA and their daughter Olympia Ohanian Jr during day 1 of the US Open 2022

Jean Catuffe/Getty Images

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Still, even then, Williams has still hedged her bets when it comes to tennis. Asked last week at the “A Conversation with Champions” panel whether the Open would be her final tournament, Williams said, “I mean, I don’t know. I think so, but who knows?”

“Maybe in Australia?” wondered the panel’s co-moderator Sheinelle Jones, of the 2023 Australian Open. “Yeah, no. I mean, I don’t think so,” said Serena.

“You never know,” the tennis star added. “I’ve learned in my career, never say never. So that’s important.”