‘I couldn’t have asked for more’: Sam Stosur finally bows out as Australian tennis great

The Australian Open farewell tour continued longer than expected. Now, having played her encore, Samantha Stosur will leave the stage on a high. This second-round appearance was Stosur’s 797th tour-level singles match, of which she has won more than 450. On Wednesday, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova ensured there would not be a 798th, the Russian dispatching the Australian veteran 6-2, 6-2.

On a day of upsets in the women’s draw, this was not one of them. The defeat at Kia Arena was emphatic. There was no hint of a comeback similar to that gritty first-round performance against American wildcard Robin Anderson. But even after Pavlyuchenkova broke her serve to take a 5-2 second-set lead and successfully served out the match, Stosur’s smile was unmoving. The occasion, for once, meant more than the tennis.

Stosur played her first professional match at the age of 14. At 17, she contested her first Australian Open. Since then she has climbed all the way to the top, to world No 4 and the 2011 US Open trophy. Now, 20 years later and ranked 487th, she has earned the right to hop off at the bottom.

“I have done more than I ever thought was possible,” she said to a standing ovation, which preceded a dedicated video tribute and presentation from Tennis Australia. “I dreamed of winning a grand slam and doing close to the things I did. To do what I have done dreaming as a little kid is phenomenal. I couldn’t have asked for more. I’ve had many great moments here in Australia and around the world. Yeah, it’s been amazing.”

Pavlyuchenkova too was taken by the moment. “It was actually very emotional for me,” she said. “I had goosebumps when everybody was clapping for Sam. She is such a wonderful human being and also amazing tennis player, so