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One of the greatest tennis careers of all time is history!

Serena Williams (40) was eliminated at the US Open after a great fight in the third round against the Australian Ajla Tomljanovic (29) with 5:7, 7:6 (7:4), and 1:6.

After the match lasted more than three hours, the 23-time Grand Slam winner struggled with tears!

During the final interview at New York's Arthur Ashe Stadium, Serena said, "Those are tears of joy, I think."

She thanked her family for their tremendous support over the past 25 years. She singled out her sister, saying, "Without Venus, there would have been no Serena." The two had competed in doubles at US Open for the first time since 2018 but were eliminated in the first round on Thursday.

EMOTIONAL TEARS Petkovic: "Crying so much is exhausting."

At the start, Williams can still match the level of her surprising victory against world number two Anett Kontaveit (26) in round two. She takes a 5:3 lead in the first set before dropping the next four games.

The second set becomes a test of endurance. In 84 minutes, Serena defeats Tomljanovic in a tie-break. After that, the air is out. In the deciding set, she has no chance and is already trailing 1:5 before she pulls herself together one last time.

She fends off five more match points before it's finally over. "It's been a fun journey. I'm just grateful," she says afterward. Asked if this was her last match or if she would return to the court one more time, she replies, "I don't think so, but you never know. I don't know."

Now it's time to enjoy her well-deserved tennis retirement. That shouldn't be too difficult for Williams, with prize money totaling more than $90 million.