#Serena williams live video professional#

Tomljanovic, who moves into the fourth round and plays Russia's Liudmila Samsonova, stepped to the side and applauded her opponent as she took the microphone. She's the only reason that Serena Williams ever existed.'

'And I wouldn't be Serena if there wasn't Venus, so thank you, Venus.

#Serena williams live video professional#

Oh my gosh, literally decades,' said Williams, who played her first professional tournament as a 14-year-old in 1995. 'I thank everyone that's here, that's been on my side so many years, decades.

Williams was overcome with emotion when she was interviewed in the middle of the court, thanking her family, team, the crowd and her fans across the world for their support over the years. The former long-time world number one saved five match points in what proved to be the final game but was powerless to stop a sixth.Īlmost everyone who could rose to their feet when she departed the court on Arthur Ashe Stadium - the scene of her first major triumph in 1999 and five more of the finest wins in her storied career - for what she intends to be the last time.Īs she waved goodbye and gave a signature twirl, Tina Turner's pop classic 'Simply The Best' boomed out over the sound system.Īsked if she would reconsider retiring after her performances this week, Williams said: 'I'm literally playing my way into this and getting better. Williams lost 7-5 6-7 (4-7) 6-1 and had tears running down her face afterwards. It will end a 27-year professional career that brought 23 major singles wins and sees the American widely labelled as the greatest of all time.