Serena Williams thanks parents for tennis career in emotional goodbye speech (VIDEO)

Serena Williams didn’t quite get the storybook ending to her career she would’ve liked, but that didn’t make it any less emotional.

On Friday night, Williams fell in three sets at the third round of the US Open to Australian Ajla Tomljanović. Williams managed to win the second set in a tiebreak, but won just a single game in the closing set of the match, with a final score of 7-5, 6-7, 6-1.

While the match was competitive, it’s probably the post-match speech she’ll remember the most, with Williams announcing her pending retirement after the tournament earlier this summer.

Serena's sweet farewell. #USOpen pic.twitter.com/hJp4RPABs4

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) September 3, 2022

Williams gave a shoutout to her parents, Richard Williams and Oracene Price, the former who was the subject of the 2021 Academy Award-winning film King Richard.

“Oh my god, thank you so much. You guys were amazing today. I tried, Alja played a little bit better. Thank you. Daddy! I know you’re watching. Thanks Mom. Oh my god. Just everyone that’s here that’s been on my side so many years, decades. Oh my gosh, literally decades,” she said in an on-court interview following the loss.

Williams ends her career with 23 Grand Slam singles titles, as well as 14 Grand Slam doubles titles, going 14-0 in doubles finals with older sister Venus.

She’d entered the US Open as Venus’ doubles partner, with the two falling in the first round on Tuesday night.

“It all started with my parents and they deserved everything. So, I’m really grateful for them. And I wouldn’t be Serena, there wasn’t Venus. So thank you Venus. She’s the only reason Serena Williams ever existed,” she said, while clearly getting a little emotional due to the magnitude of the moment. “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.”

As for what’s next? Maybe another appearance on the mic.

“I think everyone kind of shut down for a year because we got to see what our lives would be like if we weren’t playing tennis,” Williams said in her post-match press conference. “I got to wake up and see what every day would be like to not have to go to the gym… so I don’t know. I’m definitely probably going to be karaoke-ing tomorrow.”

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