Saying goodbye to a GOAT: How does Serena Williams' retirement at US Open impact women's tennis?

When Irina Spirlea overcame a 16-year-old Serena Williams making her US Open debut in 1998 she said afterwards with a smile that it had been a “regular match”. That she said it with a smile was because of the slightly odd scoreline — 6-3 0-6 7-5 — after Williams blitzed the second set in just 22 minutes.

And perhaps it was also a nod to events of the previous year when Spirlea had bumped into Serena’s older sister Venus Williams at the net during a changeover and was subsequently fined for using an expletive about her. Ad It’s difficult to say now just how ‘regular’ Spirlea really thought the contest against Serena was.

This was, after all, a 16-year-old who Spirlea, the ninth seed at the tournament, admitted made her “lose completely the size of the court” in the second set and had “confused” her with her play. A 16-year-old who had beaten Spirlea in the first round of the Australian Open earlier in the year, and whose beaded hair and hoop earrings were far from regular on the WTA Tour at that time.

US Open'I wouldn't be here without her' — Osaka praises Williams impact ahead of retirement15 HOURS AGO As Williams prepares to play the US Open for the final time before retirement, it’s clear that little about her career in the 24 years since her meeting with Spirlea in New York has been regular. Williams will pull the curtain down on her career as arguably the greatest tennis player of all time, a 23-time Grand Slam champion who holds some of the most significant records in tennis history and who has helped evolve and shape the sport like few others.