On Friday night, tennis champion Serena Williams played the last match of her illustrious career. Williams lost her last match she played at Arthur Ashe Stadium to Australia’s Ajla Tomljanović. The 23 Grand Slam champion is interview after the loss, but she focuses on gratitude for her family, especially her sister, Venus Williams, and her father Richard Williams, who coached both of his daughters into tennis players. .
“Thanks Daddy. I know you’re watching,” she said, emotional. “Thank you mom. Oh, my God… I thank everyone who’s been here, who’s been with me for so many years, decades. Oh, my God, literally decades. But It all started with my parents. And they deserve everything. So I’m really grateful to them.”
When Williams shed tears, she said they were “happy tears”.
She continued, telling her sister in the audience: “I wouldn’t be Serena without Venus, so thank you, Venus. She is the only reason Serena Williams ever existed.”
The champion went on to thank her husband Alexis Ohanian and daughter Olympia, and of course, all the fans who filled the stadium. Williams announced her plans to retire from tennis last month, and her appearance at the US Open is expected to be in the spotlight.
“It was a fun ride,” she added. “It was the most incredible ride and journey I’ve ever been on, I mean, in my life. I am grateful for every single person who has said, ‘Go away, Serena,’ in their life. I’m so grateful… You’ve got me here. “
People have questioned whether Williams is really leaving this athletic competition for good and she left the door open.
“For me, tennis has been a very important part of my life, I can’t imagine not being involved in tennis,” she said. speak. “I don’t know what that connection is yet. But I feel like it has provided me with a lot of opportunities. Through that, it provides others with a lot of great opportunities. I think it means so much to me in life and I’ve had so many great moments, that I can’t see the future without it. ”
Aimée Lutkin is the weekend editor at ELLE.com. Her writing has appeared in Jezebel, Glamor, Marie Claire and more. Her first book, lonely hunter, will be released by Dial Press in February 2022.
