Serena Williams’ legendary tennis career likely over after third-round singles’ play loss at US Open
Serena Williams: ‘I’m not saying I want to retire; I want to play more’
Serena Williams had the tennis world and the media at her feet after dominating her first two rounds of the US Open singles competition but the 36-year-old superstar was unable to force a victory from her third-round match against Alison Riske in the third set.
Riske, a rising 28-year-old American, had won their two previous previous set clashes, but Williams could not convert her dominance into a win after holding a 6-2 lead.
Williams later called Riske to concede the match.
“This is always tough and frustrating for me because I’m in the finals all year. This is my third singles final. I know I’ve got to win this one. I’ll be disappointed and I will accept it and go and play more,” the American superstar said.
“She gets off another shot and comes down the court with a little bit more juice than I do. I have no excuse. I couldn’t see the ball coming in — I couldn’t see it on my side. I got it, and then she hit a great shot from the baseline. Her volley was beautiful, and she played fantastic tennis.”
Williams appeared almost distraught by the outcome of the match, with the USTA telling a press conference that it was a very trying day for her star.
“Serena has this incredible spirit, but it’s so heartbreaking because she’s only 36 years old. It was almost like she couldn’t believe the match was over,” USTA president Mary Bono said.
“After just losing 2-6, 1-6, 6-4, 6-1 in the fourth set, she could tell herself, ‘I can’t believe I lost this one.’ But there was no time to breathe because it was too emotional. And Serena is just in her own head. There is no way for her to make it stop.”
