Out of legs and out of time, Serena Williams’s glittering career met its end on the sport’s biggest stage.
On the enormous Arthur Ashe Stadium she met her final match in the shape of Ajla Tomljanovic, who eventually ran away with their US Open third round 7-5 6-7 6-1.
The record will show that Williams lost her last six games, but that would to be ignore three hours and four minutes of an excellent contest in which she breathed defiance until the end.
She just would not go away even when the situation was near hopeless at the end. In a last game that went on for nearly fifteen minutes she saved five match points, reeling off a series of forehand winners.
‘Oh my god thank you so much you guys were amazing today,’ she said in an on-court interview filled with emotion. ‘I tried but Ajla just played a little bit better.’
With tears in her eyes, she added: ‘Thank you Daddy, I know you’re watching. Thanks Mom. I just want to thank everyone that’s here, that’s been on my side, so many…
