As she was leaving the field at the Rod Laver Arena on Thursday, Serena Williams stopped for a moment, while the newly returned crowd stood up and applauded. She raised her left arm to wave before moving her hand over her heart, as if to let them know the feeling was mutual. He paused for a moment, soaked in the late summer sun of Melbourne and waved again before disappearing into the tunnel.
Her race at the Australian Open in 2021 ended, ending in straight sets in the semifinals by her heir, Naomi Osaka. And then the questions started … on TV, on social media and maybe even from my own couch: was the match all that?
Less than an hour later, as he sat in front of dozens of members of the media in person and other people around the world on the computer, Williams was asked if the moment on the ground was a goodbye, this way.
“I don’t know,” she told a news conference. “If I ever said goodbye, I wouldn’t tell anyone.”
She smiled, but quickly faded. As the next reporter began to ask a harmless question about the unusual amount of unforced errors Williams had in the game, he tried to fight the tears, drinking water, looking down, or protecting his eyes with visor. Her voice cracked as she began to answer.
“I don’t know,” she said, before rising abruptly and saying, “I’m done.”
Williams left again, leaving behind more questions than answers.
While Williams himself gave no concrete indication of an imminent retirement, the time spent in this sport at the age of 39 is inevitably coming to an end. And if this was really the last time we saw Williams at the Australian Open or if he was playing for a few more years, the sport is better because of it, as Osaka himself partially demonstrates.
He seemed to like everything about Williams this week. She had undoubtedly played the best tennis ever since returning from maternity leave in 2018 and was heading to the tournament unscathed after recovering from a persistent Achilles tendon injury that forced her to withdraws at the French opening late in the September pandemic.
Williams held on to strong Aryna Sabalenka in three sets in the fourth round in Melbourne. He had dismantled Simona Halep, world number 2, who had defeated Williams in the 2019 Wimbledon final in the quarterfinals.
After winning seven titles in Melbourne – including the most recent in 2017 while pregnant with her daughter, Olympia – the city and the tour occupy a special place in Williams’ heart and I thought it was the perfect place to make history. Winner of 23 major titles, she was a long way from tying Margaret Court’s long-running record since returning in 2018 and was close – reaching four Grand Slam finals and two semifinals during this period.
For this last opportunity, Williams had to cross Osaka again. The 23-year-old had won the previous major match in their famous 2018 US Open final and was serendipitous for Williams to have another chance against Osaka with so much on the line. In a battle of the greatest of all time against the greatest of this moment, Williams wanted to prove that they are still both.
But Osaka is Serena-ed Serena, simply better in all the ways Williams has dominated tennis so much. Osaka had six aces (Williams’ three) and a first-serve win rate of 85%, won all four breakpoints and recorded 20 winners. After a nervous start, two games in which he struggled to throw the ball, Osaka never opened Williams’ door again.
Osaka advanced to the fourth major final, where it will take the American Jennifer Brady and will look to improve with a perfect score of 4-0 when it will play on the biggest stage. Since the first victory at the US Open in 2018, Osaka – representing Japan, but also growing based in the United States – has grown in ranks and become one of the most visible athletes in the world. Like many, she has her American counterpart, Williams, to thank for that.
Osaka’s father has now become somewhat famous for her and her sister in tennis, thanks to the success of Williams and his sister Venus. He followed the plan set by Richard Williams and put rockets in the hands of his two young daughters.
“My young aspirations owe so much to Serena and Venus,” Osaka wrote in a column for The Telegraph last month. “Without those pioneers, there would be no Naomi or Coco [Gauff], not Sloane [Stephens], not Madison [Keys]. Everything I did was inspired by them, and my sister and I dreamed of one day playing in a Grand Slam final. “
The Williams sisters’ success motivated many to play a sport they would not otherwise have considered. At the US Open in 2020, 12 black women were registered in the singles, almost 10% of the field. Teenager Robin Montgomery was among the groups and did not hesitate to discuss the influence the sisters had on her life when she spoke to ESPN before the tour.
“Of course, Serena and Venus have been my role models since I was young,” she said. “My goal is to have the chance to inspire the younger generations as Serena and Venus have managed to inspire my generation and so many other generations.”
Throughout her historic career, Serena Williams has been much more than “just” a tennis player. She is an icon of pop culture with a single name, a famous business woman, a frequent star of magazine covers and a strong advocate of racial and gender equality. Osaka followed the path paved by Williams, while finding his own voice and identity.
Williams’ legacy is much more than trophies, recordings and aces, although they have been impressive. It should hardly be surprising when we look at Osaka discussing gender equality during a post-match press conference, as it did on Thursday; he is not afraid to take action, because he has seen it done countless times before.
Osaka will try to add to its trophy on Saturday as it competes for the fourth Grand Slam title of its career. Williams will have to wait for the next chance to win another, if he intends to continue playing. Williams went to Instagram later on Thursday, posting a picture with her, wearing one of the signed Nike T-shirts and sitting with her arms outstretched next to a note addressed to Australian fans.
“I am so honored to be able to play in front of you,” said part of her post. “Your support – cheers, I just wish I could have done better for you today. I am forever indebted and grateful to each of you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I adore you.”
Many will no doubt speculate about Thursday’s fast and events, but it will only be up to Williams to decide when it’s time to leave. She deserves more than that. But when asked about the end of Williams ‘legendary career, Osaka seemed to speak for all of Williams’ fans.
“It’s kind of sad when you say that because, for me, I want to play forever,” she said. – This is the youngest child in me.