NEW YORK — Serena Williams said what is in all likelihood her goodbye to tennis Friday night at Arthur Ashe Stadium, 23 years and 22 Grand Slam titles after winning her first here at the U.S. Open.
She lost to Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic in a tense, 7-5, 6-7 (7-4), 6-1 match full of the signature power and fight she has employed to rule women’s tennis for the past two decades. In the final game, she staved off six match points and took Tomljanovic to deuce eight times, just two words running through her mind even as the inevitable became clear: “More spin.”
It was the most thrilling night of a week-long run that Williams has called a bonus to her nearly 27-year career.
Read more at the Washington Post.