Serena Williams said she wanted to be remembered as a fighter and was proud of the impact she made on tennis as she likely brought down the curtain on her storied career at the US Open on Friday. A defiant Serena bid an emotional farewell to Flushing Meadows with a third-round loss to Ajla Tomljanovic on Friday. Defeat was always going to be hard for the fiercely competitive Williams to swallow and the 7-5, 6-7, 6-1 loss to the 46th-ranked Australian no doubt stung her to the core. Her three-match run at this year’s US Open, highlighted by a second-round win over world number two Anett Kontaveit, has been a gift to her fans, a relentless never-give-up attitude that has made her a dominant tennis player for more from two decades in the making to the last point. “Obviously I’m still capable,” Williams told reporters after her loss. “But it takes a lot more than that. I’m ready to be a mom, explore a different version of Serena. Technically in the world, I’m still very young, so I want to have some life while I’m still walking. I have such a bright future ahead of me. “The fight, I’m such a fighter,” she said when asked how she wanted to be remembered after her third-round loss. “I feel like I really brought something to tennis, a different look, the punches, just crazy intensity. Passion is a very good word.” On the pitch she thanked her family, friends and fans for an “incredible journey”. “I’m honestly so grateful to have this moment and to be Serena.” The 23-time Grand Slam champion singled out the 2015 French Open, where she fought through severe flu symptoms to complete her second “Serena Slam” – four consecutive Grand Slam titles – as a career highlight.
