‘It’s been a fun ride’: tears and tributes as Serena Williams ‘evolves’ out of tennis

Serena Williams doesn’t much like the word “retirement”. The 40-year-old athlete thinks it sounds old-fashioned. She prefers to say that she is in “transition”, although she’s well aware that’s a sensitive concept in 2022, so generally when she’s asked about what’s next for her, Williams settles on “evolution”.

Whichever term she chooses, the undeniable facts are these: on Friday night in New York, Williams lost an exhilarating, excruciating third-round match at the US Open to Australia’s Ajla Tomljanović. The stakes were huge, the quality of play scintillating. Williams, her opponent, the 24,000 people watching in an unhinged Arthur Ashe Stadium – where the cheapest seats were changing hands for more than $500 (£434) – and millions tuning in on screens knew this might be the last time we would ever see Williams compete on a tennis court.

When she finally submitted 7-5, 6-7 (4), 6-1, having saved five match points in an instant-epic, career-encapsulating final game, practically leaving a trail of fingernail marks on the arena floor, one thing was certain: Williams has changed her sport, and all sport, for ever.

Williams often jokes that she is the “world’s worst” at goodbyes, but on court, after the match, she did a pretty terrific job. She thanked her dad Richard, and her mum Oracene, who was the only person in the stadium not losing their mind, and may even have been having a nap at times. But Williams crumpled, and she wasn’t the only one crying when describing the inspiration she has taken from her big sister, Venus.

“These are happy tears – I guess, I don’t know,” said Williams. “I wouldn’t be Serena if there wasn’t Venus. She’s the only reason that Serena Williams ever existed.” Then with dry understatement, she