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| Serena Williams, of the United States, motions a heart to fans after losing to Ajla Tomljanovic, of Austrailia, during the third round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Friday, Sept. 2, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II) |
Serena Williams has waved an emotional goodbye to tennis after she lost to Ajla Tomljanovic at the US Open in New York.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion staved off five match points
to prolong the three-hours-plus proceedings, but could not do more, and was
eliminated from the U.S. Open in the third round by Ajla Tomljanovic 7-5, 6-7
(4), 6-1 on Friday night in what is expected to be her final contest.
“I’ve been down before. ... I don’t really give up,”
Williams said. “In my career, I’ve never given up. In matches, I don’t give up.
Definitely wasn’t giving up tonight.”
She turns 41 this month and recently told the world that she
is ready to start “evolving” away from her playing days — she expressed
distaste for the word “retirement” — and while she remained purposely vague
about whether this appearance at Flushing Meadows definitely would represent
her last hurrah, everyone assumed it will be.
“It’s been the most incredible ride and journey I’ve ever
been on in my life,” Williams said, tears streaming down her cheeks shortly
after one final shot landed in the net. “I’m so grateful to every single person
that’s ever said, ‘Go, Serena!’ in their life.”
Williams, who played her first professional tennis match
back in 1995 as a 14-year-old, walked calmly to the net after missing a final
forehand before waving to all sides of Arthur Ashe Stadium while ‘Simply The
Best’ played over the loudspeakers.
Addressing the crowd through tears, Williams said: “Thank
you so much, you guys were amazing. I tried. Thank you daddy, I know you’re
watching. Thanks mom.
“I just thank everyone that’s here, that’s been on my side
for so many years, literally decades.
"But it all started with my parents and they deserve
everything so I’m really grateful for them.
And I wouldn’t be Serena if there wasn’t (sister) Venus, so
thank you Venus. It’s been a fun ride.”
It was fitting for Williams to bow out of the game at the US
Open, the scene of her first grand slam singles title 23 years ago, as well as
her most controversial moments and where she has ultimately been embraced as
America’s greatest tennis star.
Having been unsure whether to give her career one last go
this summer, she was surely left in no doubt that it was the right decision.
“This week has been really great,” she said. “Just so much
support, so much love. It was really amazing and overwhelming. I am so grateful
for it.
"The whole crowd was really wanting to push me past the
line. I’m so thankful and grateful for that.”
How the game played out
Williams produced a tremendous level considering she has
played very little tennis in the last 18 months.
She looked set to win the first set when she moved 5-3 ahead
but her serve, the shot that has been her biggest weapon, was not quite working
and, as she tightened up, Tomljanovic took advantage, winning four games in a
row.
Williams responded brilliantly, moving 4-0 ahead in the
second, but the surety that would have accompanied such a lead for most of her
career is no longer there and back came Tomljanovic again.
Williams missed four set points in a long eighth game but,
three points away from the end at 4-4 in the tie-break, she took a deep breath,
served an ace and forced a decider.
The delirious crowd were on their feet, and Williams began
the third set in perfect fashion by again breaking Tomljanovic’s serve.
But, with the match approaching the three-hour mark, the
physical effort Williams had put in began to take its toll and she had little
more left to give.
At 5-1, Williams was given a pre-emptive standing ovation.
She hung on grimly, saving five match points in vintage fashion, but with the
sixth it was all over.
Having thought her career might have ended with an
injury-enforced retirement at Wimbledon last year, this was definitely a far
more fitting way to bow out, but one that also leaves Williams knowing she can
still compete at the top of the game.
“I’ve come a long way since last year at Wimbledon,” she
said. “Making it a different moment I think is much better.
“It takes a lot of work to get here. Clearly I’m still
capable. It takes a lot more than that. I’m ready to be a mom, explore a
different version of Serena. Technically in the world I’m still super young, so
I want to have a little bit of a life while I’m still walking.”
She has been reluctant to completely shut the door on
another whirl, adding with a smile, “I always did love Australia, though.”
Williams has been open about wanting another child, as well
as to spend more time with her five-year-old daughter Olympia.
She anticipates a role in tennis in the future, saying:
“Tennis has been such a huge part of my life, I can’t imagine not being
involved in tennis. I don’t know what that involvement is yet.”
The flood of tributes from not just the sporting world but
across the spectrum spoke of Williams’ huge influence, which will endure for
many years to come.
Asked how she wanted to be remembered, Williams said:
“There’s so many things. Like the fight. I’m such a fighter. I feel like I
really brought something, and bring something, to tennis.
“The different looks, the fist pumps, the just-crazy
intensity. Passion, I think, is a really good word. Just continuing through ups
and downs. I could go on and on. But I just honestly am so grateful that I had
this moment and that I’m Serena.”
Tomljanovic, who will next play Liudmila Samsonova, handled
herself with great dignity and described the moment as “surreal”.
She said: “I’m feeling really sorry because I love Serena
just as much as you guys do. What she’s done for the sport of tennis is
incredible. I never thought I’d have the chance to play her in her last match when
I was a kid watching all those finals.”
Who are tennis power-duo sisters Serena and Venus Williams?
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| Venus and Serena Williams celebrate their win against Ai Sugiyama and Julie Halard-Decugis in the Women's doubles at Wimbledon 10th July 2000 |
Williams has 23 grand slam singles titles to her name - the
most in the Open era, and 39 slam titles overall.
But it has not been a journey she has undertaken alone, as
she has been joined by her elder sister, fellow tennis pro - and oftentimes
fierce competitor -Venus Williams.
There are only 15 months between Serena and Venus, and the
star sisters’ relationship has formed the centre of their lives and careers.
The emergence and subsequent dominance of the sisters forced
tennis to confront - not always willingly - its attitudes to race and strong
women on the court.
Serena followed her older sister into the sport on
glass-strewn courts in Compton, Los Angeles.
The dynamic has played out through their professional
careers - with Venus leading the way but swiftly being overtaken by Serena, the
younger sister’s determination to have things her way making her a steely
competitor.
Serena was the first of the pair to win a slam singles
title, at the US Open in 1999 - just a couple of weeks short of her 18th
birthday.
The excitement around the sisters was enormous but, as they
grew to become dominant forces in the women’s games, tennis grew less
welcoming.
Home support was far from guaranteed in the US. One high
profile episode came at the Indian Wells Masters in 2001 when fans jeered
Serena after suspecting foul play in Venus’ withdrawal ahead of a semi-final
clash with her sister.
Venus and the siblings' father, Richard Williams, said they
were racially abused in the stands.
The sisters boycotted the event for more than a decade.
Away from tennis, Serena has always pursued her interests,
particularly in fashion and philanthropic work in Africa.
She and Venus founded the Yetunde Price Resource Center in
memory of their murdered half-sister to help families affected by violence in
Compton.
Serena has found a growing political voice on black and
gender rights and, following the birth of her daughter, as a mother.
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