Surely no one wanted to be the player who knocked Serena Williams out of the 2022 U.S. Open, as she’s said it’s her last tournament before moving away from professional tennis.
But Friday night, Ajla Tomljanovic became that player, beating Williams in a three-set thriller to advance to her first U.S. Open Round of 16 appearance. Taking down the GOAT is no easy feat, and Williams fought until the very end of the more than three hour match, forcing Tomljanovic to play six match points before eventually winning, 7-6, 6-7 (7-4), 6-1.
And when it was over, Tomljanovic handled her role as victor over Williams with tremendous grace and praised the legend in her subsequent interviews. In fact, she apologized even when no apology was necessary because she was just doing her job.
Tomljanovic said in her on-court interview afterward:
“I’m feeling really sorry just because I love Serena just as much as you guys do, and what she’s done for me, for the sport of tennis, is incredible. And I never thought that I’d have a chance to play her in her last match when I remember watching her as a kid in all those finals, so this is a surreal moment for me. …
“I just thought she would beat me, you know, so the pressure wasn’t on me. So, she’s Serena. I didn’t think that — even to the last point, I knew that she’s in a really good position to win, even when she’s down 5-1. And I don’t know how many match points I needed to finish it off, but that’s just who she is. She’s the greatest of all time, period.”
But she also opened up a little about how challenging this match was for her, not just because she was playing a 23-time Grand Slam champion but also because it was difficult to be the one to beat Williams in her presumed final tournament.
Williams, obviously, also had the opportunity to speak on the court after the match, and she delivered a tearful thank you to her fans and her family, particularly older sister Venus Williams, saying, “I wouldn’t be Serena if there wasn’t Venus.”
It was a touching and emotional moment that had an impact on Tomljanovic as well.
“I would be cheering for Serena, too, if I wasn’t playing her. But it was definitely not easy,” Tomljanovic, who hit 32 winners and broke [Williams]’ vaunted serve eight times, said later. “I’d say the biggest thing was just to block out all the noise. … It’s just another tennis match for me. I’m happy to be in the third round and have a great opportunity to play on Arthur Ashe. It’s what I dreamed of when I was a kid. Just not make it bigger than it is because everyone else already made it huge.
“During the match, I was so eager to win. I wanted to win as much as the next person because I didn’t look at her like, ‘Oh, Serena, her last tournament.’ But then when it ended, it almost didn’t feel right.
“When she started talking about her family and everything, I got emotional because I can relate to having a strong bond with your family. When she said that she wouldn’t be there if it wasn’t for them, I relate to that a lot. Just the whole moment after was just tough to handle a little bit.”
Although the masses surely hoped Williams would be able to steal another victory, Tomljanovic played exceptionally well and earned the W.
