Tennis icon Serena Williams says goodbye to her fans with a dramatic duel: the 40-year-old fights for more than three hours at the US Open against Ajla Tomljanovic - and finally loses in three sets. It's the last game of her career. Her farewell is emotional.
The big Serena Williams show at the US Open is over: The tennis icon from the USA lost her third-round duel against Australian Ajla Tomljanovic 5: 7, 7: 6 (7: 4) and 1: 6. The approximately 24,000 fans at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York celebrated the 40-year-old Williams like a winner after more than three hours of play.
Williams couldn't hold back tears as she thanked her family. "These are tears of joy, I think," said the 23-time Grand Slam tournament winner: "It was a fun journey, I'm just grateful." The 81st should also have been Williams' last Grand Slam tournament. Immediately after her exit, she said about a possible return to the pitch: "I don't think so, but you never know. I don't know."
At her expected farewell tournament, Williams had previously raised vague hopes of her 24th Grand Slam title with two surprising victories, with which she could have matched the all-time record of Australian Margaret Court.
For Williams, who missed the round of 16 at the US Open for the first time since her debut in 1998, the 81st may also have been the last Grand Slam tournament of her glorious career. The exceptional athlete announced her retirement a few weeks ago. Tomljanovic meets the in-form Russian Lyudmila Samsonova in the round of 16.
The day before, Williams had already been eliminated with her sister in what was probably their last professional appearance together in doubles. The 14-time Grand Slam tournament winners lost to the Czechs Lucie Hradecka/Linda Noskova 6:7 (5:7), 4:6. Thanks to a wild card, the Williams sisters were back on the pitch together for the first time since the 2018 French Open.
