Chinese tennis star Wu Yibing on his journey to ATP Tour
The US Open has provided tennis fans with the usual welcome cocktail of entertainment, surprise results and drama, but there is one thing missing this year – Serena Williams. The 41-year-old all-time great chose Flushing Meadows as the ideal location to bring down the curtain on her incredible career in 2022.
The New York crowd was no stranger to a slice of Williams success – she won the US Open on six occasions with her first title coming in 1999 and the last 15 years later. But that is just a drop in the ocean compared to her overall achievements.
In the Open era, she stands out on her own with a record 23 Grand Slam titles to her name. Ranked number one in the world for 319 weeks, including a joint-record 186-week stretch, she is the only player in the sport’s history to accomplish a career Golden Slam in both singles and doubles.
But after becoming a mother for the first time in September, 2017, Williams’ life priorities started to change and although she made a welcome return to the sport she used an interview with Vogue magazine in August 2022 to reveal that the forthcoming US Open would be her final appearance before retirement.
When her swansong tournament arrived, she didn’t go without a fight. First she beat Danka Kovinic in the first round, before demonstrating her timeless quality to defeat number two seed Anett Kontaveit in the second round.
She almost repeated the feat in the Round Three against Ajla Tomljanovic but was ultimately beaten in the third and final set. With that, her illustrious tennis career was over.
Williams and plenty of others could not hold back the tears as one of the sport’s greatest-ever competitors bid farewell to the court amid a standing ovation.
Many significant sporting figures paid tribute to Williams. One of those to have his say was another all-time tennis great, Roger Federer – himself a 20-time Grand Slam winner and five-time US Open champion.
The Swiss legend took to Instagram last year to share a message about Williams’ retirement but used his platform to beg her to stay involved with tennis in some capacity – something she chose to ignore.
He said: “I wanted to congratulate you for a most incredible career. You know what you’ve achieved. I know what you’ve done. You know what it is, it just beyond incredible.
“I know it’s probably with mixed feelings you’re leaving this wonderful sport that has given you everything and more. I wish you all the best with your family. I think back at ’99 at the US Open when you played Martina Hingis, I stayed up late to watch you battle it out as that was the beginning to your incredible career that you’ve had ever since.
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“I think the future is going to be wonderful for you. I’m sure it is. Please return to tennis. The tennis community and family will always welcome you with open arms and always be happy to see you again, so please return.
“For now enjoy this moment, enjoy the US Open, enjoy everything that’s coming this next couple of weeks even though it might be hard for you. But I’m thinking of you and all my respect. I wish you all the very best for your future. Take care Serena.”
Williams has no equal in the modern era, but in typical fashion she left the court by pushing all the praise onto her family and her older sister Venus, who with seven Grand Slam singles titles to her own name, is still playing today.
Sibling Serena said: “It all started with my parents. And they deserve everything. And I wouldn’t be Serena if there wasn’t Venus, so thank you, Venus. She’s the only reason that Serena Williams ever existed.”
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