US Open 2022: Emotional Serena Williams tight-lipped on retirement plans, hints at playing Australian Open

While
thanking
her
family
for
their
decades
of
support,
the
40-year-old
left
the
door
open
when
it
came
to
the
talk
of
retirement
at
the
Arthur
Ashe
Stadium.

Serena
ended
up
going
down
in
a
match
that
lasted
three
hours
and
seven
minutes,
with
a
15-minute
final
game
where
the
40-year-old
saved
five
match
points
illustrating
her
fighting
spirit
down
to
the
last
moments.

If
this
is
her
final
US
Open
–
which
she
was
hesitant
to
confirm
–
she
will
finish
with
the
most
main
draw
wins
ever
at
the
tournament
with
108,
and
her
23
Grand
Slam
titles
are
also
the
most
of
all-time.

Speaking
on
the
court
after
Tomljanovic
gladly
ceded
the
floor
to
the
legend,
Serena
turned
her
attention
immediately
to
her
family
as
she
reflected
on
the
journey
to
this
point.

“Thank
you,
Daddy.
I
know
you’re
watching,”
she
said
as
she
began
to
tear
up.

“Thanks,
Mom…
I
thank
everyone
that’s
here,
that’s
been
on
my
side
so
many
years,
decades.
Oh,
my
gosh,
literally
decades.

“But
it
all
started
with
my
parents
–
they
deserve
everything.
So
I’m
really
grateful
for
them.
These
are
happy
tears,
I
guess.
I
don’t
know.

“And
I
wouldn’t
be
Serena
if
there
wasn’t
Venus,
so
thank
you,
Venus.
She’s
the
only
reason
that
Serena
Williams
ever
existed.”

She
added:
“It’s
been
a
fun
ride.
It’s
been
the
most
incredible
ride
and
journey
I’ve
ever
been
on,
I
mean,
in
my
life.

“I’m
just
so
grateful
to
every
single
person
that’s
ever
said
‘go,
Serena’ in
their
life.
I’m
just
so
grateful.”

When
asked
if
this
would
definitely
be
her
last
US
Open,
Serena
was
hesitant
due
to
how
well
she
performed,
and
left
the
question
unanswered.

“I
mean,
I’m
literally
playing
my
way
into
this
and
getting
better
–
I
should
have
started
sooner
this
year,”
she
said
with
a
laugh.

“I
don’t
think
so,
but
you
never
know.
I
don’t
know.”

It
may
be
recalled
that
on
August
9,
Serena
had
announced
to
the
world
that
she
was
getting
ready
to
step
away
from
her
playing
career,
leaving
unclear
exactly
when
the
end
would
be,
although
she
hinted
it
could
come
at
the
US
Open
2022.

Serena
took
the
insinuation
that
she
is
not
finished
playing
a
step
further
during
her
sit-down
post-match
press
conference,
laying
the
breadcrumbs
for
another
go
around
at
the
Australian
Open.

“I
don’t
know
(what
it
would
take
to
play
again)-
I’m
not
thinking
about
that.
I
always
did
love
Australia,
though,”
she
said
with
a
smile.

“But
yeah,
you
know
what,
I’ve
come
a
long
way
since
last
year
at
Wimbledon.
Just
not
sure
if
that
was
my
last
moment
or
not.
Making
it
a
different
moment
I
think
is
much
better.

“And
it
takes
a
lot
of
work
to
get
here.
Clearly
I’m
still
capable.
It
takes
a
lot
more
than
that.

“I’m
ready
to,
like,
be
a
mom,
explore
a
different
version
of
Serena.
Technically
in
the
world
I’m
still
super
young,
so
I
want
to
have
a
little
bit
of
a
life
while
I’m
still
walking.”