Serena Williams retires: India batting legend Sachin Tendulkar, former US President Barack Obama's wife Michelle Obama and Olympic champion swimmer Michael Phelps, and many more stalwarts led the tributes to American legend Serena Williams after she lost against Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round of the US Open, which is most likely the last match of her sparkling career. The 23-time singles Grand Slam champion lost to Tomljanovic 7-5, 6-7(4), 6-1 on Friday night in a match that lasted more than three hours. Serena will turn 41 on September 26 and now she wants to focus on raising her family and her business. She and her husband have a five-year-old daughter, Olympia.
"Age is not what the body tells you, but what your mind tells the body. Teenagers can solve world’s biggest problems, adults can pick up something new & excel. Sport inspires society to push limits & achieve the impossible. Congratulations on an inspiring career, @serenawilliams," Sachin tweeted.
Serena Williams made her retirement intentions known in a Vogue story published in August. She stated that she was "growing away from tennis" but did not specifically state that the US Open would be her last match.