Leaving the court on Thursday at Rod Laver Arena, Serena Williams paused for a moment as the newly returned crowd rose and applauded her. She raised her left arm to wave before running her hand over her heart, as if she wanted them to know that the feeling was mutual. She paused for a moment, absorbed by the ovation like the late summer sun in Melbourne and waved again before disappearing into the tunnel.
His run at the 2021 Australian Open ended, ended in straight sets in the semifinals by his apparent heiress, Naomi Osaka. And then, the questions started … on television, on social media and maybe even on your own couch: Is the match over?
Less than an hour later, while sitting in front of dozens of members of the media in person and others around the world on computers, Williams was asked if the moment on the court was a kind of farewell.
“I don’t know,” she said at a news conference. “If I said goodbye, I wouldn’t tell anyone.”
She smiled, but disappeared quickly. When the next reporter started asking an innocuous question about the unusual amount of unforced mistakes Williams made in the match, she tried to fight back tears by drinking water, looking down or shielding her eyes with the viewfinder. Her voice failed when she started to respond.
“I don’t know,” she said, before standing up abruptly and saying, “I’m done.”
Williams is gone again, leaving more questions than answers behind.
Although Williams herself has given no concrete indication of an impending retirement, the 39-year-old’s time in the sport is inevitably coming to an end. And if this really was the last time we saw Williams at the Australian Open or if she played for several more years, the sport is better because of her, as evidenced in part by Osaka herself.
It seemed that everything was going well for Williams this fortnight. She had undoubtedly been playing her best tennis since returning from maternity leave in 2018 and was going to the tournament without injuries, having recovered from a persistent Achilles tendon injury, which forced her to give up on the delay of the Open pandemic. France in September.
Williams held the powerful Aryna Sabalenka in three sets in the fourth round in Melbourne. She had dismantled 2nd place Simona Halep, who defeated Williams in the 2019 Wimbledon final in the quarterfinals.
Having won seven titles in Melbourne – including the most recent in 2017, while pregnant with her daughter, Olympia – the city and the tournament hold a special place in Williams’ heart and seemed the perfect place to make history. Winner of 23 major titles, she is just a distance away from leveling Margaret Court’s long record since the return of 2018 and has come close – reaching four Grand Slam finals and two semifinals during that period.
For this last opportunity, Williams had to pass through Osaka again. The 23-year-old had won his previous major clash in the famous US Open 2018 final, and it was lucky for Williams to have another chance against Osaka with so much at stake. In a battle of the Greatest of All Time against the Greatest of Now, Williams wanted to prove that it was still both.
But Osaka defeated Serena and Serena, simply better in all the ways Williams has dominated tennis for so long. Osaka had six aces (against Williams’ three) and an 85% win rate in the first service, won all four break points and registered 20 extraordinary winners. After two nervous games in which she struggled to throw the ball, Osaka never opened the door for Williams again.
Osaka advanced to his fourth important final, where he will face American Jennifer Brady and look to improve to a perfect 4-0 when playing on the biggest stage. Since his first victory at the 2018 United States Open, Osaka – representing Japan but growing up and living in the United States – has moved up the ranks and has become one of the most visible athletes in the world. Like so many others, she has to thank her American colleague Williams for this.
Osaka’s father has now become famous with her and his sister in tennis due to the success of Williams and his sister Venus. He followed the design established by Richard Williams and placed rackets in the hands of his two daughters.
“My young aspirations owe a lot to Serena and Venus,” Osaka wrote in a column for The Telegraph last month. “Without these pioneers, there would be no Naomi, no Coco [Gauff], without Sloane [Stephens], not Madison [Keys]. Everything we did was inspired by them, and my sister and I would dream of one day playing them 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 2020, there was a record of 12 black women, almost 10% of the field, in the singles draw. Teenager Robin Montgomery was among the group and did not hesitate to discuss the influence the sisters had on her life when speaking with ESPN before the tournament.
“Of course, Serena and Venus have been my role models since I was young,” she said. “My goal is to have a chance to inspire the younger generations in the same way that Serena and Venus were able to inspire my generation and so many other generations.”
Throughout her long career, Serena Williams has been much more than “just” a tennis player. She is a pop culture icon with a single name, celebrated businesswoman, frequent magazine cover star 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 involves much more than trophies, records and aces, although they were impressive. It should come as no surprise when we watched Osaka discuss gender equality during a post-game press conference, as she did on Thursday; she is not afraid to take a stand, because she has seen it done countless times before.
Osaka will try to increase her trophy stand on Saturday as she fights for the fourth Grand Slam title of her career. Williams will have to wait for the next chance to win another one, if she plans to continue playing. Williams took to Instagram on Thursday, posting a photo of her wearing one of her exclusive Nike T-shirts and standing with her arms outstretched next to a ticket for Australian fans.
“I am very honored to be able to play in front of all of you,” said part of his post. “Your support – your applause, I just wish I did better for you today. I am forever indebted and grateful to each of you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you.”
Many will undoubtedly speculate on Thursday’s post and events, but it will be up to Williams to decide for himself when the time comes to leave. She more than deserves it. But when asked about the eventual end of Williams’ legendary career, Osaka seemed to speak for all Williams fans.
“It’s kind of sad when you say that because, for me, I want it to play forever,” she said. “This is the child in me.”