Serena Williams waved farewell to the US Open – and her illustrious career – amid emotional scenes after she lost to Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic on a thrilling night in New York.
Williams, who turns 41 this month, expects it to be her final match, reports the BBC.
Tomljanovic, who moves into the fourth round and plays Russia’s Liudmila Samsonova, stepped to the side and applauded her opponent as she took the microphone.
The world number 46 produced a phenomenal performance to block out the noise and sense of occasion, illustrated by her clinical hitting in the final stages of a brutal contest which lasted three hours and five minutes.
Williams produces one last thrilling performance for A-list crowd
Williams has long been more than a tennis player and it was a sign of her status – as an American icon and one of the world’s most recognisable sport stars – that she announced her retirement in an essay for glossy fashion magazine Vogue.
Although she did not use the word retirement itself, preferring to say she was “evolving away” from the sport, her plan is to end her glittering career this fortnight at her home major.
Like every night she has appeared this week, Williams emerged on to court after being introduced as the ‘Queen of Queen’s’ – the borough of New York where the tournament is held – in a specially-commissioned video montage narrated by American rap star Queen Latifah.
The A-Listers have been out in force on Ashe this week, with Vogue editor Anna Wintour and golf superstar Tiger Woods previously sitting in Williams’ box.
On Friday night it was R&B singer Ciara and her husband Russell Wilson, who is one of the country’s biggest NFL stars, alongside members of Williams’ family.
Elsewhere, tennis great Billie Jean King, film director Spike Lee and actress Rebel Wilson were also watching.
Williams wore the glittery, figure skating-inspired dress she had specially created for the tournament, along with diamond-encrusted trainers, to add further pomp to the occasion.
Right to the end, Williams put on a show for the almost capacity 24,000 crowd.
The 40-year-old played some of her best tennis in a long while as she fought to prolong her career, putting on one final memorable show for those lucky enough to witness it.
