With no legs and no time, Serena Williams’ glittering career came to an end on the sport’s biggest stage.
At the huge Arthur Ashe Stadium she met her last match in the form of world number 46 Ajla Tomljanovic, who eventually ran away with the third round of the US Open 7-5 6-7 6-1 .
The record will show that Williams lost her last six matches, but that would be to ignore three hours and four minutes of an excellent contest in which she breathed defiance until the end.
She just wouldn’t go away even when the situation was almost hopeless at the end. In a final game that lasted almost fifteen minutes, he saved five match points, with a series of forehand winners.
“Oh my god, thank you so much, you guys were amazing today,” she said in an emotional courtside interview. “I tried, but Ajla played a little better.”
With tears in her eyes, she added: “Thank you dad, I know you’re watching. Thank you mom. I just want to thank everyone who is here, who has been by my side, so many years, decades. But it all started with my parents and they deserve everything, so I am very grateful to them”.
An overcome with emotion, Williams continued to credit her older sister Venus as an inspiration for her instrumental role in the career of the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion.
“They’re happy tears, I guess,” she said. “And I wouldn’t be, I wouldn’t be Serena if it wasn’t for Venus, so thank you Venus. She’s the only reason Serena Williams ever existed.
“It’s been a fun ride, it’s been the most amazing ride and journey I’ve ever been on in my life. And I’m so grateful to every single person who’s ever said ‘go Serena’ in their life. I’m so grateful because I has brought here.”
Serena Williams was in tears as her US Open fairytale finally ran its course and her glittering career came to an end
At the huge Arthur Ashe Stadium, he finally met his match when he suffered defeat in the third round of the event.
The American star was defeated by Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic (right) in a tight three-set thriller at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Showing the heart that made her a champion, Williams wouldn’t go away even when the going was desperate at the end
The 23-time Grand Slam winner breathed defiance throughout the three hours and four minutes of an excellent contest
He continued to leave the door slightly ajar, but that’s the end of it. Asked if that was the case, he replied: “I think so, you never know,” before leaving court immediately.
At first, the atmosphere was a little less feverish than the previous two games, as if the expectation had now changed to be another step in the fortnight’s journey.
Tomljanovic walked out to general indifference from the crowd and, as is now the custom, had to sit and wait while a video tribute to her opponent played before her rousing arrival.
World No. 46 Tomljanovic left with general indifference from the home crowd, as is customary this week
Although a seasoned professional, nothing can prepare a player for this. However, the 29-year-old Croatian-Australian will have put herself in a good position to take part in the night match at Wimbledon last year which saw Emma Raducanu withdraw.
He benefited from an early Williams goal to break through, which dampened the crowd’s initial enthusiasm. It was only temporary as Williams returned to love and fired them again.
The American hit with impressive depth against a player who prefers to hit relatively straight down the court and the decibels rose as the six-time champion raced into a 5-3 lead.
However, she found it a bit tight when trying to serve and this ignited a new level for Tomljanovic, who soon had two break points at 5-5 as she opened the court with skill.
A well-timed backhand at the line led to a second break in a row. The Australian, whose game is not complicated, won three set points and took the third with a forehand that went into the line after a couple of nervous errors.
The American legend hit with impressive depth against a player who prefers to hit relatively straight down the court
The resilient Williams would have to come back from a set down for the first time in the week and go deep to take the second
Now Williams should return from a set for the first time in a week, putting her aging legs to the test.
Tomljanovic looked surprised when the American changed her strategy at the start of the set, moving forward when she could and playing with direct aggression to cut short rallies.
It worked a treat as he threw the kitchen sink at his opponent, hitting with abandon to race to a 4-0 lead in what turned out to be an 83-minute second set.
Then the world number 46 managed to get in, never more so than in the epic eighth game. It lasted fifteen minutes and had nine twos, with Williams creating four points from seven. He couldn’t finish it off and 5-3 quickly became 5-4.
Tomljanovic dug deep after going down 4-0 in the second set and fought back to break the tie before winning the third.
His length was dwindling, and the older player began to blow hard. He reached the last position with the tiebreaker and went 4-1. Tomljanovic equalized, but then Williams’ forehand intervened to make it 7-4 with two hours and 12 minutes on the clock.
Could the veteran last? It looked that way when he broke at the start of the decider, especially as his serve had improved enormously after an uncharacteristically poor start in that department.
The years, however, began to tell against the excellent fitness of Tomljanovic, who was already ahead in winning rallies that lasted five shots or more.
A host of A-list stars had become regular fixtures in the stands at Arthur Ashe during Williams’ first two rounds and Friday night was no exception.
Williams’ husband and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian was front and center in her box at her potential final tennis match, wearing a T-shirt with a photo of their five-year-old daughter, Olympia, who had he was captured at the US Open during the first round.
He was photographed paying tribute to his daughter, Olympia, who has not been at the US Open since opening night on Monday.
Williams’ husband Alexis Ohanian wore a T-shirt with an adorable photo of their daughter Olympia for the third-round match
Williams’ husband Alexis Ohanian was on hand to support the tennis matriarch, with her jersey receiving universal acclaim.
Olympia, officially named Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., turned five on Thursday and stole the show during her appearance in her mother’s victory over Danka Kovinic.
Olympia was pictured on Monday night as she stood in her mum’s box as she cheered on in a matching outfit.
Williams and her adorable daughter dressed in matching diamond dresses for the 23-time Grand Slam champion’s first-round match at the US Open on Monday.
Williams’ dress, made by longtime partner Nike, was all black and encrusted with diamonds to mark the occasion. Nike produced a matching outfit for their daughter Olympia, who cheered on her mother in the stands sitting next to her father.
It seems the matching outfit wasn’t the only tribute to her mother she wore. In addition to the brights, Olympia was seen wearing braids strung through white pearls, a hairstyle similar to the one Serena wore when she won her first US Open title in 1999.
Williams wasn’t the only one glowing on Monday night, as Nike made a matching outfit for daughter Olympia (right)
Olympia sat in the stands with her father Alexis Ohanian to cheer her mother on in her opening game at Flushing Meadows
The five-year-old wore white beads in her hair to commemorate her mother’s first US Open win, when she wore the hairstyle.
American billionaire Robert Kraft, Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson and his wife, Ciara, were also part of the star-studded cast supporting Williams at Flushing Meadows.
Wilson, Ciara and Ohanian were in Williams’ player’s box alongside her sister Venus and her mother, Oracene Price.
There was more NFL royalty in Queens, with New England Patriots owner Kraft and fiancée Dana Blumberg enjoying the atmosphere.
New York icon Spike Lee made her third appearance of the week at Arthur Ashe, rocking a soft maroon dress, while 12-time Grand Slam winner Billie Jean King shone in a pink cardigan, a color that also had worn on Monday because, as she explained, it is Williams’ favorite color,
Brooklyn Nets star Ben Simmons was in the crowd; as a fellow Australian, Tomljanovic produced the best performance of his career. So were model Bella Hadid and boyfriend Marc Kalman.
Wilson and Ciara are often seen together at several high-profile sporting events in the United States and sat in the player’s box.
Denver quarterback Russell Wilson and his wife Ciara were just one of the power couples in attendance at Flushing Meadows on Friday night
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and fiancee Dana Blumberg enjoyed the proceedings as the NFL season approached.
Spike Lee was seen sporting a blazer only he could, and has been a constant presence at Williams’ matches this tournament.
Brooklyn Nets superstar Ben Simmons was seen smiling as fellow Australian Tomljanovic triumphed over the iconic Williams.
Billie Jean King watched Williams and Ajla Tomljanovic play out a tense encounter in a stadium where she starred
Supermodel Bella Hadid, seen with boyfriend Marc Kalman, had attended all of Williams’ 2022 US Open singles matches.
PK Subban (right) is currently an NHL unrestricted free agent, having most recently been a member of the New Jersey Devils
NHL free agent and former New Jersey Devils defenseman PK Subban joined the star-studded crowd witnessing an eye-catching opening set.
Over the course of the week, Williams had more big names in her…