Serena Williams played her final professional match on Friday night

Serena Williams’ fans weren’t all that worried about her third round against Ajla Tomljanovic, the 29-year-old Croatian-Australian. While Ajla is a good player and she’s been doing well in the Slams in recent years, Serena’s fans felt like “well, Serena can handle her.” People were already talking about how far Serena could go in the US Open, her final tournament. People were like: maybe the semifinals, maybe even the final! Nope. Ajla Tomljanovic defeated Serena in an over-three-hour battle on Arthur Ashe Stadium on Friday night. Ajla did it by not missing, not choking, putting the ball back every time. It was rough. Serena kept fighting until the very end though, saving five match points in the last minutes of her professional career. The only silver lining is that Chris Evert wasn’t in the commentary box to spread her racist microagressions all over Serena’s last match.

The US Open had already organized the big retirement ceremony for Serena for her first match, so the only thing left on Friday was Serena’s last speech on court. She was already in tears during the match, then she made everyone else cry with her emotional final speech, especially when she said “I wouldn’t be Serena if there wasn’t Venus, she’s the only reason why Serena Williams existed.”

In the 24 hours after Serena’s final professional match, the tributes and love poured in from sponsors, tournaments, world leaders and Serena’s friends and players on the tour. There were so many, so I’m just highlighting the most notable, including Roberta Vinci’s tribute (Vinci beat Serena at the USO in 2015, when Serena was going for the calendar Slam). I loved the fact that President Biden tweeted about it!

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

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17 Responses to “Serena Williams played her final professional match on Friday night”

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  1. PaperclipExtrordinaire says:
    September 5, 2022 at 7:26 am

    Yeah…bawling again just thinking about it.

    • BothSidesNow says:
      September 5, 2022 at 8:11 am

      I truly thought early on Serena would win. She is such a powerhouse. She puts her entire body into every swing with her racket. Her serves are a thing of beauty and power. Alas, she did not but she certainly gave Tomljanovic a good run.

      I will miss Serena on the court but I am excited for her future. Serena knows no bounds and she is just getting started…

  2. SAS says:
    September 5, 2022 at 8:19 am

    I can’t wait to see what she does next but I’m truly sad to not see her playing tennis anymore. She is a true icon of the sport.

    Her opponent showed great grace under pressure, the crowd was so against her. Serena was so incredibly sweet and gracious as ever. Getting a bit teary thinking about it!

    • Noki says:
      September 5, 2022 at 10:43 am

      I dont know,i dont get the feeling this is the final call. She will def come back they always do, i dont know what it is whether the adrenaline or adulation. Eg Michael Jordan, Lance Armstrong , Tom Brady lol

      • Nicnack says:
        September 5, 2022 at 10:58 am

        I don’t think it’s likely if she has another child.

      • Veronica S. says:
        September 5, 2022 at 1:06 pm

        I’m thinking the health scare she had with her daughter’s birth probably took some wind out of her sails, in all honesty. It’s one thing to put your body through that for your own goals. It’s another thing to do it knowing there’s a partner and child out there you could leave behind if something goes wrong.

        I won’t be surprised if we see her go into something sports adjacent, though. Coaching, sports announcing, etc.

  3. Nlopez says:
    September 5, 2022 at 8:38 am

    Bittersweet. Thank you Serena!

  4. Southern Fried says:
    September 5, 2022 at 8:48 am

    I thought I was going to pass out. That match was astounding. I kept trying to muzzle myself from yelling by covering my mouth with a throw pillow. I mutter lots when cheering and found myself saying stuff like good job, baby girl, get it baby girl. That’s just weird. I’ve never ever said baby girl during any sporting event. Guess it means my whole heart was with her. Big respect for Ajla.

  5. Cel2495 says:
    September 5, 2022 at 9:01 am

    I cried like a little baby! I am so happy for Serena and her next chapter. It’s bittersweet for her I am sure🐐❤️

  6. AnnaKist says:
    September 5, 2022 at 9:24 am

    Our Aijla was fantastic! I’m going to miss Serena, though, but also can’t wait to see what she does in the next chapter of her life. It’s bound to be another incredible success story. You know how when a sporting legend retires, and people say, “We’ll never see anyone like her again.”? We always do, though. But in Serena‘s case, I really think that is true – she had it all as a brilliant player but she also has it all as a wonderful human being.

  7. Chantal says:
    September 5, 2022 at 9:37 am

    It was a great match. I cheered and was so sad when she lost. I wish she had practiced more in the lead up to the match bc she showed she still has “it” and could have gone the distance. Still in typical Serena fashion, she fought to the very last point. I’ll also watch Ailja’s matches from now on too.
    Her on court post match interview was a tear jerker and lovely – esp her comments about Venus. Can’t wait to see her next adventures. Meanwhile, I’m cheering for Coco Gauff to win the US Open.

    • BeanieBean says:
      September 5, 2022 at 12:29 pm

      She had me crying right along with her. What an amazing person! And so right (of course she’s right!), there would be no Serena had there not been Venus. I’m old enough to remember the rise of Venus, then little sis Serena right behind her. Amazing women, the both of them. What a story, what a family, what a legacy!!

  8. MissMarirose says:
    September 5, 2022 at 10:28 am

    And now I’m tearing up again. She fought so hard in that last match. My god, the number of times she came back down an advantage to bring it back to deuce. Incredible at any age, but especially after all she’s been through. We’re so lucky to have witnessed her greatness.

    If she pulls a Tom Brady and comes back after a couple of months, I won’t be mad at all.

  9. Well Wisher says:
    September 5, 2022 at 10:33 am

    Well done. We were blessed with an unique opportunity to witness your greatness.
    Thank You.
    Grace, beauty and decency on and off the court.
    Skill, talent, independence and hard work on the court, all transferable skills.
    Serena, you’ve already started the next of the journey we call life.
    All the best of wishes, onward and upward.
    A forever well wisher from a distance.

  10. QuiteContrary says:
    September 5, 2022 at 2:05 pm

    The true Queen.

    Every time I think about her health crisis after giving birth I get angry. She knew she had all the symptoms that came with blood clots but the nurse at first dismissed her concerns. Even this incredible athlete who’s keenly aware of how her body functions wasn’t heard. No wonder Black natal mortality is so shamefully high in the US.

  11. Liz Version 700k says:
    September 5, 2022 at 3:35 pm

    She is such an inspiration and amazing person/player. Whatever comes next I am sure it will be equally amazing. That was a gut-wrenching match

  12. K8typat says:
    September 6, 2022 at 3:19 pm

    Attending the US Open was my 50th birthday present and can you believe the day we picked months ago was Serena’s day? So honored to have been there. The crowd was amazing, the match was so fun. My husband and I were crying. But she was tired, you could see it.