1 year ago
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Serena Williams Announces Retirement From Tennis
Serena Williams conscionable aced this response.
After winning her lucifer against the no. 2 effect Anett Kontaveit during the 2nd circular of the U.S. Open connected Aug. 31, the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion was asked by erstwhile tennis pro and ESPN expert Mary Joe Fernández if she amazed herself with her level of performance.
Letting retired a tiny laugh, Williams replied, "I mean, I'm conscionable Serena, you know?"
It was a nailing-biting nighttime astatine Arthur Ashe Stadium successful Queens, New York. After narrowly edging retired Kontaveit to triumph the archetypal set, Williams mislaid the 2nd earlier clinching triumph successful the third.
"Honestly, aft I mislaid the 2nd set, I thought, 'Oh my goodness, I gotta springiness my champion effort 'cause this could beryllium it," the athlete, who announced in an August effort for Vogue that she's retiring (or "evolving away") from tennis, continued. "And truthful really, I conscionable wanted to conscionable support trying and spot what I could bash and conscionable bash my best. And I was conscionable truly excited to beryllium honest."
When asked however she bushed Kontaveit, Williams replied, "Well, I'm a beauteous bully player. You know, this is what I bash best. I emotion a challenge. I emotion rising to the challenge."
Williams returned to tennis successful June aft suffering a limb wounded astatine Wimbledon in 2021.
"I haven't played galore matches, but I've been practicing truly well," she added. "And my past fewer matches, it conscionable wasn't coming together. I'm like, 'But this isn't me.' And, you know, the past mates matches present successful New York, it's truly travel together."
But Williams is acceptable to marque this last Grand Slam tourney count.
"It's nary unreserved here," she said during the post-match interview. "I'm loving this crowd. Oh my goodness, it's truly fantastic. There's inactive a small near successful me. We'll see."
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Williams has had a batch of supporters—including her hubby Alexis Ohanian and 5-year-old girl Olympia—cheering her connected from her player's box. And her fans are definite to keep supporting the tennis champ arsenic she competes successful her first-round doubles lucifer with Venus Williams connected Sept. 1 and her third-round singles lucifer against Ajla Tomljanovic connected Sept. 2.
To spot immoderate of the stars who've attended the U.S. Open this year, support scrolling.
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