Ashraf Ali Siddiqui describes a tearful farewell
It had to happen one day and it did when Serena Williams waved farewell to the US Open – and her illustrious career – amid emotional scenes after she lost to Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic on a thrilling night. Williams, who turns 41 this month, expects it to be her final match. Serena’s departure will end a 27-year professional career that brought 23 major singles wins and has made Serena an iconic player in the annals of tennis. Almost everyone who could rose to their feet when she departed the court on Arthur Ashe Stadium – the scene of her first major triumph in 1999 and five more of the finest wins in her storied career – for what she intends to be the last time.
Serena Williams was overcome with emotion when she was interviewed in the middle of the court, thanking her family, team, the crowd and her fans across the world for their support over the years. For her final match Serena Williams wore the glittery, figure skating-inspired dress she had specially created for the tournament, along with diamond-encrusted trainers, to add further pomp to the occasion. Right to the end, Williams put on a show for the almost capacity 24,000 crowd.
Serena Williams Career
In her illustrious career Serena Williams’ first major title came at the 1999 U.S. Open, when the 17-year-old beat Swiss tennis star Martina Hingis, who was World No. 1 at the time. She also shares the record of most U.S. Open singles titles (six) in the Open era with Chris Evert. Serena won a total of 23 Grand Slam singles titles more than any other player—man or woman—in the Open Era.
Only Australia’s Margaret Court, with 24 Grand Slams titles, has won more. She is widely regarded as the greatest women’s player of all time as along with her 23 singles major championships, she has also won 14 women’s doubles and two mixed doubles majors, for a total of 39 Grand Slam titles.
Serena Williams has also won four Olympic Gold medals—one singles title at the London 2012 games and three doubles with her sister Venus at the Sydney 2000, Beijing 2008 and London 2012 games. She is also the only woman to have won four major singles titles in a row—a non-calendar Grand Slam also referred to as a ‘Serena Slam’—twice. Williams’ last grand slam title—the 2017 Australian Open—came at the age of 36, making her the oldest woman to win the tournament in the Open era.
Serena Williams Career Records
In fact, Williams’ career records after turning 30 are unmatched and they include 10 of her 23 major singles titles. No other woman has won more than three singles Grand Slam titles after turning 30. With a career haul of $94.6 million, Williams has won more prize money on court than any other woman in history and is in fourth place among all players only behind Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. $260 million is William’s total net worth that puts her 90th on the 2022 list of America’s richest self-made women.
Serena Williams outlined her future plans saying she was evolving away from the sport to focus on other things that are important to her. She refused to term her move as a retirement saying it doesn’t feel like a modern word to her. She said she wants to focus on her business interests along with growing her family. Serena Williams is married to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian and the couple has a five-year-old daughter, Olympia. Serena’s last Grand Slam title came at the 2017 Australian Open which she won while she was two months into her pregnancy. The Weekender
