Tennis fans have been left heartbroken after Serena Williams broke down in tears before leaving her Australian Open press conference on Thursday.
The 23-time grand slam champion’s bid to equal Margaret Court’s record was crushed after a ruthless display from Naomi Osaka in their semi-final clash at Melbourne Park.
Turning 40 in September, Williams’s latest quest to match Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24 grand slam singles crowns ended in a shattering 6-3 6-4 loss to Osaka.
With her hand on heart, the American paid a touching tribute to the crowd before leaving Rod Laver Arena, raising the prospect that her 21st Open campaign may have been her last.
Those fears that fans had seen the last of Williams at the Australian Open only intensified during a post-match press conference that many supporters described as “tough to watch”.
The American choked backed tears as she answered questions, before refusing to let on whether the latest heartbreaking defeat was her last at Melbourne Park.
“I don’t know. If I ever say farewell, I wouldn’t tell anyone,” Williams said. “So ..: I don’t know. The Aussie crowd is so amazing, so it was nice to see.”
Williams has been stranded one shy of Court’s record since capturing her 23rd grand slam title at Melbourne Park four years ago with victory over her older sister Venus while three months pregnant with her daughter Olympia.
The 39-year-old has since suffered four grand slam final defeats – two at Wimbledon and two at the US Open – and was left devastated by her straight-sets loss to Osaka.
“The difference today was errors. I made so many errors,” Williams said.