The 23-time major singles champion and younger sister of fellow great Venus Williams has stated that she will retire from the game after the tournament. Serena Williams’ inspiring run through the US Open ended Friday night with a third-round loss to Australian Ajla Tomljanovi, effectively ending the all-time great’s illustrious career.
Tomljanovi, the tournament’s world No. 46, won the match 7-5, 6-7, 6-1 on the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center at 10:22 p.m. The match was even going into the third set, but the player who elevated tennis to a new level of precision and athleticism 25 years ago appeared to have lost a step to Tomljanovi’s long-armed forehand and two-handed shotgun backhand.
Williams was frequently dragged to each corner of the baseline until the 29-year-old found a winner. Williams hit a spectacular backhand overhead smash late in the match that brought Arthur Ashe Stadium to its feet. But when it came down to it, Tomljanovi’s mental resolve triumphed over the master of mental resolve. The final game was played as if it were the only game, until Tomljanovi’s sixth match point when Williams dumped her return into the net. As Tina Turner’s “The Best” played, Williams waved to the crowd and twirled one last time. Mary Joe Fernández, the court announcer, reminded Williams that it was true. Serena Williams thanked her parents and sister Venus, without whom Serena would not exist. It all began with my parents. And they are deserving of everything, “she stated.
“It’s been an incredible ride and journey,” Williams continued. “I’m grateful to everyone who has ever said, ‘Go, Serena.'” The victory was “surreal” for Tomljanovi, who recalled watching Williams play as a child. And what she’s done for me, for tennis, is incredible, “Fernández was informed. Even after Williams defeated her in the second set, Tomljanovi said she took the match one point at a time and couldn’t lose focus. “I knew she was in a really good position to win even when she was down 5-1,” Tomljanovi said. “That’s just the way she is.” She is the best of all time. Period.”