Williams reenacted her famous victory twirl for the crowd at the New York stadium, despite suffering a defeat in three sets against Australia’s Ajila Tomljanovic, with scores of 7-5, 6-7, 6-1.

The match lasted over three hours and was filled with tension. Williams fought back from five match points in the final set, but her final shot hit the net.

The audience rallied with enthusiastic support for the 23-time Grand Slam champion, who recently announced plans to “transition out of tennis” without specifying a concrete timeline.

Williams choked up during the post-match interview, saying, “I guess these are happy tears, I’m not really sure.” She expressed gratitude to her family and fans, especially her parents and older sister Venus Williams, who have supported her throughout the years.

Growing up in a disadvantaged area of Compton, California, the 40-year-old athlete has inspired countless young girls of color to dream big and keep fighting.

She achieved her first major victory at the US Open in 1999 at the age of 17. This win made Williams the first African American woman to win a major singles title since Arthur Ashe in 1975. She also became the first black woman to win a major championship since Althea Gibson in 1958.

In an interview on September 2nd, Williams highlighted her triumph at the French Open in 2015 as a career highlight. Despite battling a severe flu, she achieved the “Serena Slam” by winning four consecutive Grand Slam titles.

 

She is one of the few players to achieve a Career Grand Slam. To earn this title, a player must win all four major championships (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open) in both singles and doubles.

 

Williams currently holds the distinction of being the only player to achieve a Career Golden Slam, which includes winning all four Grand Slam titles and an Olympic gold medal in both singles and doubles.

Her last Grand Slam title came at the Australian Open in 2017, reclaiming her world No. 1 ranking. At 35 years old, she became the oldest woman to win a major championship. She later revealed she was pregnant with her daughter, Alexis Olympia, at the time.

If she were to retire now, Williams would be the proud holder of the second-most Grand Slam singles titles in history.

When asked after the thrilling match on Friday night if the renowned player might reconsider her retirement decision, Williams said, “I don’t know, I don’t think so, but I don’t know.”