(Tennis news) Serena Williams’ hopes of winning her 24th Grand Slam singles title were shattered after losing to Ajla Tomljanovic 7-5 6-7 (7-4) 6-1. in the third round of the US Open in what could possibly be her final competitive match of her career. The 40 year old already defeated Danka Kovinic and Anett Kontaveit in front of her home crowd but simply couldn’t keep up with her 29 year old opponent in a match that took three hours.
A tearful Serena Williams said after the match “Thank you so much, you guys were amazing. I tried. Thank you Daddy, I know you're watching. Thanks Mom. I just thank everyone that's here, that's been on my side for so many years, literally decades, But it all started with my parents and they deserve everything so I'm really grateful for them. And I wouldn't be Serena if there wasn't Venus, so thank you Venus. It's been a fun ride." When asked if there could be another chapter in her tennis career, Williams replied “I don't think so, but you never know."
Williams had a nervy start to the match, dropping her serve but grew into the game to give Tomljanovic a fight. The 40 year old displayed some strong groundstrokes with excellent movement as she went on to break the serve again to lead 5-3. However, the tide turned when Williams struggled to find her serve and her opponent Tomljanovic secured the set with four consecutive games. A frustrated Williams put in a rampant performance in the second set, taking a 4-0 lead but Tomljanovic won two games in a row. The set was eventually tied 5-5 and after a 4-4 tiebreak, Williams served an ace and forced a decider.
With the game reaching the three hour mark, Williams struggled to keep up with the intensity and after being 5-1 down, the crowd gave her an ovation in anticipation of her defeat. The 40 year old managed to save four match points but was defeated in the sixth. Speaking after the match Ajla Tomljanovic said “I'm feeling really sorry just because I love Serena just as much as you guys do. What she's done for the sport of tennis is incredible. I never thought I'd have the chance to play her in her last match when I was a kid watching all those finals." She will play Liudmila Samsonova in the next round of the US Open.
When asked if she (Serena Williams) will carry on playing, the 23 time Grand Slam winner replied “I don't know. I'm not thinking about that. I always did love Australia, though. I've come a long way since last year at Wimbledon. Just not sure if that was my last moment or not. Making it a different moment I think is much better. It takes a lot of work to get here. Clearly I'm still capable. It takes a lot more than that. I'm ready to be a mom, explore a different version of Serena. Technically in the world I'm still super young, so I want to have a little bit of a life while I'm still walking.
“For me, tennis has been such a huge part of my life, I can't imagine not being involved in tennis. I don't know what that involvement is yet," said Williams. "But I feel like it's provided me with so many opportunities. Through that, it's provided other people with so many amazing opportunities. I think it means so much to me in my life, and I've had so many amazing moments, that I don't see a future without it. What's my involvement? I have no idea. I think I'll be involved in some way or shape."
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