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Fans astatine Arthur Ashe Stadium successful Queens witnessed the curtain telephone of a beingness pursuing Serena Williams‘ lucifer with Ajla Tomljanović, 29, on Friday, Sept. 2. Serena, 40, finished her lucifer and, ultimately, her career. After speaking astir beingness aft tennis successful Vogue magazine, the sports icon took her last bow aft being knocked retired of the US Open successful the 3rd circular 7-5, 6-7 (4/7), 6-1. The tennis icon gave an affectional code connected the tribunal aft the match, shouting retired her older Venus Williams. “I wouldn’t beryllium Serena if determination wasn’t Venus. She’s the lone crushed Serena Williams ever existed,” she said done tears to a roaring audience.
"I wouldn't beryllium Serena if determination wasn't Venus."@serenawilliams 💙 @Venuseswilliams pic.twitter.com/C7RZXcf23E
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 3, 2022
She besides paid tribute to her parents, including her begetter Richard Williams, 80, and ma Oracene Price, 70. “I tried but Ajla was better. Thank you Daddy I cognize you are watching, it each started with my parents and they merit everything truthful I americium truly grateful to them,” she said. “These are blessed tears. Thank you Venus. It has been a amusive ride.”
Serena leaves the tribunal with a history-making career. She won 73 singles titles, 23 of which were Grand Slam wins. Add connected 4 Olympic golden medals, 14 expansive slam doubles titles (with sister Venus Williams), and 2 mixed-double titles, and it’s hard to reason that Serena isn’t the “Greatest of All Time.” She achieved a non-calendar-Year expansive slam – winning the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and U.S. Open. In the aboriginal years of her career, Serena focused connected trying Margaret Court’s total of 24 Grand Slams (achieved during a clip erstwhile the Grand Slam tournaments allowed nonrecreational players to vie alongside amateurs.)
What a week. What an evening.
Thank you, #Serena. pic.twitter.com/KJ1zDkQGUs
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 3, 2022
“There are radical who accidental I’m not the GOAT due to the fact that I didn’t walk Margaret Court’s record of 24 expansive slam titles, which she achieved earlier the “open era” that began successful 1968,” said successful the September 2022 contented of Vogue. “The mode I spot it, I should person had 30-plus expansive slams. I had my chances aft coming backmost from giving commencement [to daughter Olympia successful 2017.] I went from a C-section to a 2nd pulmonary embolism to a expansive slam final. I played portion breastfeeding. I played done postpartum depression. But I didn’t get there. Shoulda, woulda, coulda.”
(Ella Ling/Shutterstock)Serena said successful Vogue she was “reluctant to admit to myself oregon anyone other that I person to move connected from playing tennis,” and that she has mixed feelings astir it. Serena noted that she ne'er “wanted to person to take betwixt tennis and a family,” saying that the determination weighs harder connected athletes who transportation pregnancies since those who don’t bash not acquisition “the carnal labour of expanding [the] family.” She besides said, “these days, if I person to take betwixt gathering my tennis résumé and gathering my family, I take the latter.”
“Ashleigh Barty was fig 1 successful the satellite erstwhile she near the athletics this March, and I judge she truly felt acceptable to determination on,” said Williams. “Caroline Wozniacki, who is 1 of my champion friends, felt a consciousness of alleviation erstwhile she retired successful 2020. Praise to these people, but I’m going to beryllium honest. There is nary happiness successful this taxable for me. I cognize it’s not the accustomed happening to say, but I consciousness a large woody of pain. It’s the hardest happening that I could ever imagine. I hatred it. I hatred that I person to beryllium astatine this crossroads. I support saying to myself, I privation it could beryllium casual for me, but it’s not. I’m torn: I don’t privation it to beryllium over, but astatine the aforesaid clip I’m acceptable for what’s next.”
Ella Ling/ShutterstockWilliams said “the essence of being Serena” was “expecting the champion from myself and proving radical wrong. There were truthful galore matches I won due to the fact that thing made maine aggravated oregon idiosyncratic counted maine out. That drove me. I’ve built a vocation connected channeling choler and negativity and turning it into thing good. My sister Venus erstwhile said that erstwhile idiosyncratic retired determination says you can’t bash something, it is due to the fact that they can’t bash it. But I did bash it. And truthful tin you.”
