Farewell has come: Serena Williams leaves the tennis stage. In one last exciting match, she fends off five more match points before her career end is sealed. The 40-year-old has changed her sport in an incredibly long and gigantic career.
It was September 2, 2022 at 10:22 p.m. when an incredible sports career came to an end. Serena Williams lost her last singles at a Grand Slam tournament at that moment. Her forehand hit got stuck in the net, the Australian Ajla Tomljanovic won the duel at the US Open 5: 7, 7: 6, 1: 6 at that moment. Williams had fended off five match points before, but then the moment of farewell had come.
24,000 fans at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York stood up, applauded and celebrated not so much Tomljanovic's entry into the round of 16 as Williams' long, gigantic career. The 40-year-old defended herself for three hours in the third round after surprisingly surviving the opening match against Danka Kovinic and the second round against Anett Kontaveit. But now it was over - and Williams cried.
"These are tears of joy," she explained while paying homage to her family. "Thank you dad, thank you mom," said the tennis queen - who also included her daughter Olympia and her husband Alexis Ohanian - and emphasized with a breaking voice: "I wouldn't be Serena if it wasn't for Venus." With her sister, who was just over a year older, she also competed in doubles at the US Open. The duo, who received a wild card, failed in the first match against the Czechs Linda Noskova and Lucie Hradecka.
The tennis career ends, even if she didn't say so explicitly. Like never before, not even when she announced her departure in "Vogue" at the beginning of August. She spoke of an "evolution", a development away from tennis - it was still clear enough. But she can't quite believe it herself that it should have been that. "I don't think so, but you never know, I don't know," she said of a possible resignation from retirement. And: "But I've always loved Australia." The Australian Open will take place there again next January.
But it's unlikely, she has new plans, even if she doesn't really know what will follow. She will be "a mother", have time for her daughter, she would like to have a second child. Williams wants to try it out, pursue her duties as a businesswoman and also test what it's like "not going to the gym every day".
Williams made her professional tournament debut in 1995 when she was just 14 years old. The Athletic revealed the almost unbelievable fact that Williams has beaten players born every year between 1966 and 2001, plus Lisa Pigato, who was born in 2003. From Larisa Neiland to Steffi Graf, Monica Seles and Jennifer Capriati to Kim Clijsters, Maria Sharapova, Simona Halep, Naomi Osaka and many more. She has won 23 Grand Slam titles, only on the one, the decisive one, which separates her from record winner Margaret Court, did she work in vain. No one before her had earned so much prize money - $ 94.5 million. "I think I really gave something to tennis," Williams said on the court. And: "I think passion is a really appropriate word."
Spectacular tennis, full of power and intensity, forehand and backhand incredibly strong, she dominated her opponents at will at times. If not playfully, then mentally. Her outfits were always eagerly awaited, she is a fashion icon, the announcement of her career end in the fashion magazine "Vogue" suits her. At her last tournament, she wore black with glitter, subtle for her taste. In 2002 and 2018 she played tournaments in a body suit, denim skirts and boots were also used, as well as leopard patterns. The elitist, the understated, it wasn't her thing.
She shaped and changed tennis. When it started in the mid-'90s, the sport was one for whites. Not only the white clothes, but also the elite circle of athletes and fans were white. But thanks to her and her sister, the audience changed, blacks, Latinos and Asians came to the stands. "Thank you for bringing the sport to a new dimension for black athletes, for athletes and every athlete," said gymnastics star Simone Biles at the end of her career. The Williams sisters became role models that wowed the masses.
Their passion didn't end on the pitch. Her successors look up to Serena Williams, who has always encouraged the younger ones to go their own way. "Thank you, Serena, because of you I believe in this dream," said Coco Gauff now. "The effect you have on me is way beyond words that can be put together. And for that I say thank you, thank you, thank you, GOAT!"
Williams' work goes far beyond tennis, many other sports greats like Tiger Woods and LeBron James congratulated after their last game. "You are literally the greatest on and off the course," said the golf pro. "Thank you for inspiring us all to follow our dreams. Love you little sister!" And the basketball star wrote: "Congratulations, you've had an incredible career. What you've done for the sport and for women is unparalleled. It's been an honor to watch your journey and see you achieve all the goals that You set yourself, achieved. Victory, defeat or draw: we knew that you are the greatest."
Host Oprah Winfrey said, "25 years. Shero. A legend forever." And Michelle Obama thanked her: "Congratulations on a great career. We were fortunate to see a young girl from Compton grow into one of the greatest athletes of all time. I'm proud of you my friend and I can hardly Expect to see your talents continue to transform lives."
New tasks await. Your business is going well, such as the investment in the football club Angel City FC, which is intended to revolutionize the structures of women's football. First of all, Serena Williams left the big stage. Tina Turner's hit "Simply the Best" rang out from the loudspeakers.
