Reaction to Serena Williams’ loss Friday night to Ajla Tomljanovic at the U.S. Open in what was expected to be the final match of her career:
“(at)serenawilliams you’re literally the greatest on and off the court. Thank you for inspiring all of us to pursue our dreams. I love you little sis!!!!!!” — Tiger Woods, via Twitter.
“Congrats on an amazing career, (at)SerenaWilliams. How lucky were we to be able to watch a young girl from Compton grow up to become one of the greatest athletes of all time. I’m proud of you, my friend—and I can’t wait to see the lives you continue to transform with your talents.” — Michelle Obama, via Twitter.
“All heart. So much love.” — Alexis Ohanian, Williams’ husband, via Twitter.
“I think she embodies that no dream is too big and it doesn’t matter where you come from, or the circumstances. You can do anything if you believe in yourself and you love what you do and have an incredible support system and family around you.” — Tomljanovic, in her interview on the court after her victory.
“We just witnessed the last US Open for the greatest of all time, Serena Williams!! Serena has meant so much to sports, the game of tennis, the world, every little girl, and even more to every little Black girl across the globe.” — Basketball Hall of Famer Magic Johnson, via Twitter.
“Serena, THANK YOU. It is because of you I believe in this dream. The impact you’ve had on me goes beyond any words that can be put together and for that I say thank you, thank you, thank you, GOAT!” — Coco Gauff, via Twitter.
“It’s truly been fun to watch Serena not only change the sport of tennis, but more importantly, how she’s helped empower the next generation. Her tennis accomplishments speak for themselves, but one of the things I admire about her is she simply doesn’t quit. On or off the court.” — Olympic swimming gold medalist Michael Phelps, via Twitter.
“I love you (at)serenawilliams. It’s been the pleasure of a lifetime to watch you become what you have. Can’t wait to see what you do next. Thank you my old friend.” — Tennis Hall of Famer Andy Roddick, via Twitter.
“I feel like I really brought something, and bring something, to tennis. The different looks, the fist pumps, the just crazy intensity. I think that obviously the passion I think is a really good word. Yeah, yeah, just continuing through ups and downs. I could go on and on. But I just honestly am so grateful that I had this moment and that I’m Serena.” — Williams, in her press conference.
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More AP coverage of U.S. Open tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/us-open-tennis-championships and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports