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There’s nothing in sports quite like a vintage Tiger Woods fist pump.

Woods has stamped nearly every one of his 82 PGA Tour victories with his signature celebration, most recently with an emotional double-fist to the sky after winning the Masters in 2019. On Wednesday night, Tiger gave us an epic fist pump for the first time in years, but he wasn’t even on the golf course for the delivery.

Tiger Woods delivers a vintage fist pump while cheering on Serena Williams

On Wednesday night, dozens of celebrities packed the seats of Arthur Ashe Stadium for what could’ve been the final competitive match of Serena Williams‘ legendary tennis career. The 40-year-old superstar previously announced she would be retiring sometime after this month’s U.S. Open.

With Williams scheduled to play No. 2-ranked Anett Kontaveit in the second round, the chances of her retirement tour lasting another day seemed slim. But she wasn’t ready to say goodbye just yet.

Williams turned back the clock Wednesday night and defeated Kontaveit 7-6, 2-6, 6-2 to advance to the third round of the U.S. Open. Woods, who’s always admired and supported the greats in other sports, was there to watch it unfold.

After Williams won the first set in a tiebreak, ESPN’s cameras picked up Tiger jumping out of his seat and throwing up a textbook fist pump as if he had just won the U.S. Open himself. The dude may have a fused back and a semi-robotic leg, but those biceps still mean business.

Just check out that emotion.

Tiger Woods fist pumps while watching Serena Williams.
Tiger Woods reacts as Serena Williams wins the first set against Anett Kontaveit in the U.S. Open | Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images

Even though Woods likely won’t return to the PGA Tour until next year’s Masters, it’s clear the competitive fire is still there inside him. For the time being, though, he’ll just have to find ways to let it out other than golf.

Williams’ continued U.S. Open run seems to be the perfect outlet for Woods to release some of those competitive juices. That run will continue on Friday when Williams faces off against Australian Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round of the championship, and you can bet Woods will be there to cheer her on.

Let’s hope we see some more Tiger fist pumps as Serena makes a deep run through the U.S. Open.

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Staff Writer

Jack Dougherty

Writing professionally since 2015, Jack Dougherty spent six years as a sportswriter with publications such as GoPSUSports.com, the Centre Daily Times, and the Associated Press before joining Sportscasting in 2020. He covers the NBA, the NFL, and the world of golf extensively and has added expertise on any team located in or around his hometown of Philadelphia. Yes, that includes the Philadelphia Eagles, the Philadelphia 76ers, and Philadelphia Phillies.

When Jack isn’t writing about sports, he’s watching them or playing them as he regularly heads to the gym for some pickup basketball or the golf course to hit the links. He’s also an avid participant in the sports betting scene who worked at a casino sportsbook for a year and learned the ins and outs of the industry before bringing his expertise to Sportscasting with one excellent gambling recommendation after another.