Serena Williams's tennis career likely ended tonight, in a three set defeat to Ajla Tomljanović, who is currently ranked no. 46 in the world. Tomljanović defeated Serena in a three hour battle, eventually winning 7-6, 6-7, 6-1. Williams announced earlier in August that this U.S. Open would be her goodbye to the sport—though there's always the possibility the superstar could un-retire.
As the match ended, "Simply the Best" by Tina Turner started playing in Arthur Ashe Stadium, and Williams twirled her signature twirl.
"Oh my god, thank you so much, you guys were amazing today," she said in a post-match interview as she began to cry. "Thank you, Daddy, I know you're watching. Thanks, Mom. Thank you everyone that's here, that's been on my side—so many years, literally decades. But it all started with my parents, and they deserve everything. So I'm really grateful for them."
"These are happy tears," she continued. "And I wouldn't be Serena if there wasn't Venus. So, thank you Venus. She's the only reason Serena Williams ever existed."
As part of her goodbye to the sport, she played doubles with Venus. They lost yesterday evening—and Venus is out of the singles tournament, too, losing her first round match in straight sets to Belgium's Alison Van Uytvanck.
Williams, who is widely considered one of the greatest tennis players ever, struggled with her decision to retire, telling Meghan Markle, "I've been doing this since I was—since I can remember. And I'm 40 years old now, so it's like my whole entire being and my whole entire life has been for one purpose. So to kind of not do that anymore, it's exciting, right? I'm really looking forward to it."
Williams made her professional debut in 1995, soon after she turned 14. She won her first U.S. Open in 1999—she would go on to win the New York tournament five more times—and racked up 23 Grand Slam titles during her career. Her pursuit for a 24th Slam, to tie Margaret Court's record, has been the dominate narrative of her past few years on tour.
Famous faces in the stands at Arthur Ashe Stadium to watch Williams's final tournament have included her husband Alexis Ohanian; her daughter, Olympia; Tiger Woods, who Williams wrote in Vogue encouraged her to get back on the court this past spring; and more.
"I'm just so grateful to every single person who has ever said 'Go Serena' in their life. I mean, you got me here," she said after the match.
Emily Burack (she/her) is the Senior News Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, culture, the royals, and a range of other subjects. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Twitter and Instagram.
