Rafael Nadal says his third-round win over Richard Gasquet was his best of this year's US Open as he works his way back after the abdominal tear that ended his Wimbledon campaign.

Prior to the US Open, Nadal had only played once since withdrawing from the Wimbledon semi-final against Nick Kyrgios in early July, losing to Borna Coric in Cincinnati.

The second seed got past Rinky Hijikata and Fabio Fognini in four sets in the first two rounds at Flushing Meadows before Saturday's 6-0 6-1 7-5 win over French veteran Richard Gasquet in two hours and 17 minutes.

"My best match in the tournament," Nadal told reporters. "Easy to say that because the other day was tough.

"But important improvement. But I need to keep going. It's a good victory for me. Straight sets for the first time. Third set had been a challenge. He increased the level.

"I went through some difficult moments. That's something that is good that I went through that and saved that moments with a positive feelings. Happy to be in the fourth round, without a doubt."

The victory over Gasquet meant he has progressed to the second week at Flushing Meadows for the 12th time in his career, although he conceded he would need to lift his level to take out the title, starting with Monday's fourth-round match with 22nd seed Frances Tiafoe.

Nadal is gunning for his third major title this calendar year in New York, having triumphed at the Australian Open and French Open.

The 36-year-old's Australian Open success in February came after minimal preparation due to a foot injury, similar to his US Open lead-up due to the abdominal issue.

"I think I played better in Australia than here going to the second week," Nadal said. "But I have zero background in terms of victories and all this stuff.

"Here I played little bit worse than in Australia, without a doubt. But the story of the year and the results on the slams have been incredible, so that helps.

"I don't know the balance, what's better or worse. But all these victories help to be a little bit more confident. It's a moment to increase, to making a step forward."

"Second week against a great player like Frances, I need to be ready to play and to raise my level. I hope to be able to make that happen.

"I know is the right moment to make an improvement if I want to keep having chances to keep going on the tournament."

Top seed Iga Swiatek reached the US Open fourth round for the second time in her career after reeling off the final five games to beat Lauren Davis on Saturday.

The two-time French Open champion, who enjoyed a 37-match winning streak earlier this year, defeated Davis 6-3 6-4 in one hour and 57 minutes.

Swiatek had trailed 3-0 in the second lap but fought back emphatically to seal her passage into the last 16 where she will face either Jule Niemeier or Zheng Qinwen.

The attention in the women's singles has firmly turned to Swiatek, with Serena Williams eliminated along with the second, third and fourth seeds.

The Pole did not disappoint, hitting 25 winners and six aces, albeit with 38 unforced errors and an apparent lack of rhythm.

Swiatek wrapped up the first set in 59 minutes but world number 105 Davis offered a tougher test in the second after breaking in the second game.

The highly favoured Swiatek had to work out to avoid a 4-0 deficit, holding her serve in a 16-point game, but she showed she was back breaking Davis to love to make it 3-4.

Swiatek won 21 of the last 25 points of the match to book her spot in the second week in New York for the second straight year.

Data Slam: Swiatek finding her hard-court groove

The win improved Swiatek's 2022 tally to 53 matches but it also moved her a step closer to becoming the first player since Serena Williams in 2014 to win seven titles in a single year.

Swiatek has not quite reached the same dizzying levels lately since her 37-match winning streak, which was halted in the third round at Wimbledon, with this victory being only her fifth from eight during the hard-court season.

WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS

Swiatek – 25/38
Davis – 12/34

ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS

Swiatek – 6/3
Davis – 0/6

BREAK POINTS WON

Swiatek – 3/14
Davis – 1/3

Second seed Rafael Nadal continued his staggering head-to-head domination of Richard Gasquet as he cruised into the fourth round at the US Open with a straight-sets victory on Saturday.

The 22-time major winner was irrepressible across the first two sets before Gasquet rallied in the third, but Nadal triumphed 6-0 6-1 7-5 in two hours and 17 minutes.

The victory means the 2022 Australian Open and French Open champion will face 22nd seed Frances Tiafoe in the fourth round and improves his head-to-head record against Gasquet to 18-0.

Nadal, who had been shaky early against Fabio Fognini last round, was ruthless when it mattered, hitting 35 winners for the match and winning 78 per cent on his first serve.

After dropping the opening sets in his previous two matches against Fognini and Rinky Hijikata, Nadal responded with a flawless first frame that included converting three of six break points.

Gasquet's belief seemed completely gone in the second set, managing no winners, with Nadal in control. The Frenchman ended Nadal's nine-game winning run to loud applause, raising his arms in celebration and probable relief.

Nadal broke early in the third but Gasquet responded to break back, pushing hard in the third set. But the Spaniard's quality shone highlighted by his finesse with a lob helping him claim the decisive break in the 11th game.

Data Slam: Rafa's longevity on show

Saturday's win was Nadal's 30th at night at Arthur Ashe Stadium and took his tally to 22-0 at majors this year, having only withdrawn from Wimbledon due to an abdominal injury. The triumph also saw him progress to the second week at Flushing Meadows for the 12th time in his decorated career, that includes four US Open titles. 

WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS

Nadal – 35/23
Gasquet – 19/29

ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS

Nadal – 2/8
Gasquet – 1/7

BREAK POINTS WON

Nadal – 7/15
Gasquet – 1/7

Matteo Berrettini outlined his desire to see Roger Federer return to the court as he compared the 20-time grand slam champion to retiring legend Serena Williams.

Federer has not played competitively since losing to Hubert Hurkacz in the Wimbledon quarter-finals last year, and has since undergone his third knee surgery in two years.

But the 41-year-old is hopeful of returning to the court for this month's Laver Cup, where he is set to team up with Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic for Team Europe.

Federer recently shared an encouraging video of a practice session on social media after stepping up his rehabilitation. 

With tennis set to lose one legend after Williams' final US Open campaign was ended by Ajla Tomljanovic on Friday, the return of Federer would represent a major boost for the sport.

Speaking after beating Murray in the third round at Flushing Meadows, Berrettini said: "I think I said it so many times. Probably it's never going to be enough. One of the reasons why I'm here now is Roger. 

"He was my idol when I was growing up. I was cheering for him, so I want him back really badly.

"He's just like Serena, I guess, one of a kind, you know?

"I wish him a really speedy recovery in whatever he's doing to come back. I wish I could play one more time against him."

Berrettini has lost each of his two tour-level matches against Federer, including a straight-sets defeat at Wimbledon in 2019.

Nick Kyrgios believes no other player will be able to emulate the career Serena Williams has enjoyed, after the grand slam great confirmed her retirement.

Williams went down 7-5 6-7 (4-7) 6-1 to Ajla Tomljanovic – Kyrgios' former partner – on Friday in the third round of the US Open.

That brought an end to her playing career, though the 40-year-old suggested she would leave the door open for a potential return.

Kyrgios, who defeated J.J. Wolf to set up a contest with reigning men's champion Daniil Medvedev, is in awe of what Williams has achieved, as he ranked the 23-time grand slam champion alongside Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

"She's had a career that I don’t think no one else will emulate," Kyrgios said.

"You've got a couple on the men’s side who are trying to catch her in grand slams, but Nadal, Serena, Federer, Novak, these are once in a generation athletes – I wouldn't even put myself in the same category, ever.

"It's a special moment for her, she played extremely well, she won two matches and nearly got on top [against Tomljanovic], it's a hell of a way to go out.

"I just appreciate what she's done and I'm sure everyone in this building does as well."

After beating Wu Yibing, world number one Medvedev said of Williams: "That was a crazy match, it was close to being three hours.

"It's definitely a pity that she lost. If it's the last match of her career, it was definitely an amazing match and she was really close to winning.

"Ajla played at a great level, it was not easy against the crowd and it was a high-level match."

Williams bows out with the most grand slam wins in the Open Era of any player, male or female.

Daniil Medvedev has described both himself and US Open fourth-round opponent Nick Kyrgios as "electric", but says the pair share more "respect" than friendship.

The world number one will continue his men's single title defence against the Australian in the last 16 at Flushing Meadows after a 6-4 6-2 6-2 Win over China's Wu Yibing.

The pair are set to meet for the fifth time on the ATP Tour, with Kyrgios holding an impressive 3-1 record over the Russian in their previous four encounters, including in the final of the 2019 Citi Open.

But Medvedev defeated the former on home turf at the Australian Open earlier this year, in arguably the biggest clash between the duo.

Speaking ahead of the pair's encounter, Medvedev stressed he does not see the pair as friends, but he has strong admiration for his opponent's game and is impressed at how he has revived his fortunes this year.

"I don't think we are friends," he added. "I feel like we respect each other a lot. We are both quite electric. You never know what's going to happen in the future

"Nick is a little bit different from other tennis players on the court. That's his choice. That's his life. I'm not the one to judge. I feel a lot of respect for him."

Asked if he is surprised at Kyrgios' improved form following a first grand slam final this year at Wimbledon, Medvedev added: "To be honest, yes.

"We all knew that he's capable of doing big things. We always knew on [his] day, he is capable of beating anyone.He [has] proved it many times, against the biggest players in the world."

Kyrgios, meanwhile, is relishing another battle on a big occasion, adding that his attempts to seize victory against the odds of public opinion allow him to "thrive".

"You want to be in those moments," he said. "I want to be playing on the biggest stadiums in the world in front of millions of people broadcasted globally. That's where I want to be. That is why I work hard.

"It makes it even sweeter. I know a lot of people don't want me to succeed. I know a lot of people hate my game, the way I do things, the way I go about it. I always thrive on it. I never want to forget all the things people say.

"I always carry this chip on my shoulder. Win or lose, I'm proud of how far I've come. I think that's where every tennis player wants to be, playing the best players in the world in the best stadiums in the world."

Ajla Tomljanovic explained she just had to block out the noise surrounding Serena Williams in order to progress at the US Open.

Williams' called time on her illustrious career following Friday's 7-5 6-7 (4-7) 6-1 loss to Tomljanovic, though did leave the door open to a possible return.

The 40-year-old had announced her impending retirement last month in Vogue, and before each of the three matches she played at Flushing Meadows, the tournament organisers paid tribute to the 23-time grand slam champion.

Williams had the backing of the crowd against Tomljanovic, who knew she had to cut through the background noise and focus on her game.

"I'd say the biggest thing was just to block out all the noise. At the end of the day I tried to keep it simple," she said.

"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.

"From the first moment I walked on court, I didn't really look around much. I was completely in my own little bubble."

Tomljanovic will face Ludmilla Samsonova in the next round and is already putting her win over Williams to one side.

"It's already kind of in the past. I mean, I'm happy I won, I actually think a little too quickly about the next one! I never feel like I have a problem with that. I have more of an issue chilling out and taking it easy the next day," she said.

Williams did not bow out without a fight, saving five match points in the deciding set before finally falling short.

"I stopped counting after the second [match point]," Tomljanovic said. "You know what, every match point she saved, it was all credit to her. I didn't feel like I did much wrong.

"I had this weird calmness because I felt like if I get broken, I mean, so what? Serena broke me. Wow, I'm just like the next person she broke when she's down 5-1.

"I know she comes up with her best tennis when she's in the most trouble. I didn't feel like I'm choking it away or something. I just kept calm and actually took a page of her book."

Ajla Tomljanovic had conflicting emotions after beating Serena Williams, as she admitted she felt like a "villain".

Williams' called time on her illustrious career following Friday's 7-5 6-7 (4-7) 6-1 loss to the Australian, though did leave the door open to a possible return.

The 23-time grand slam champion did not let it go easy, clawing back five match points before Tomljanovic finally clinched the deciding set.

While Tomljanovic is sad to see Williams go, she could not say she was sad to have won, sealing a place for herself in tennis history in the process.

"No one's going to pronounce my name right," she quipped after it was suggested she would now be the answer to a common trivia question regarding Williams' final opponent.

"That's going to suck. I don't think I've of been part of tennis history [before], so that's pretty cool.

"I do feel a little bit like the villain. Like I said in Cincinnati, I really did want to play Serena before she retired. If I was the loser today I'd probably be really sad. I don't want to say I'm sad, but just conflicted.

"Probably the most conflicted I've ever felt after a win. During the match I was so eager to win. I mean, 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."

Asked what Williams meant to her, Tomljanovic replied: "Growing up I didn't really have idols, but Serena and Venus [Williams] were just so good that I looked up to them the most, I'd say.

"What always drew me to them was their bond with their family, like the togetherness. They always spoke about that, like it was so important to them. I can relate to that because I'm very close to my family and I wouldn't be where I am without them.

"From a young age I remember seeing them with their dad and thinking that's kind of like my story a little bit. Just the fact that you don't have to have anything other than supportive family, a dream, and just will and passion and love for the game to make it. Not just make it, but what she's achieved is absolutely incredible.

"I don't know if it's ever going to be repeated while I'm still around. I still have years left in me. I want to dream bigger than I have so far because that's what she embodies."

Williams bows out with the most grand slam titles in the Open Era, though one short of Margaret Court's all-time record of 24.

Tributes have poured in across the sporting world for Serena Williams following her apparent US Open swansong on Friday, though the 23-time grand slam winner has kept the door ajar on a shock return.

The American, widely considered one of the greatest sportspeople of all time, suggested she would step away from top-level tennis following the tournament at Flushing Meadows.

Following a 7-5 6-7 (4-7) 6-1 loss to Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round, her journey now looks to be over – though the 40-year-old admittted "you never know" when asked about future appearances.

Her likely last dance, however, has prompted an outpouring of glowing tributes from far and wide, with a host of major names paying their respects to an unparalleld career.

15-time major-winning golfer Tiger Woods called her "the greatest on and off the court" while four-time NBA champion LeBron James hailed her as "so dope".

Serena Williams' long and illustrious tennis career looks to have drawn to a close after the American lost to Ajla Tomljanovic at the US Open on Friday. 

Following a long piece in Vogue last month, Williams wrote of her plan to "move in a different direction" after "these next few weeks", suggesting the tournament at Flushing Meadows would be her last outing.

Thanks to her success and brilliance on the court, Williams has become synonymous with tennis and is regarded by many as the greatest the women's sport has ever seen.

At the age of 40, Williams has persisted with tennis far longer than most do, and that is testament to her quality and enduring desire for success.

Though Williams left a glimmer of a chance that she may yet play again, joking that she "always did love Australia", she may well have taken to the court for the last time. Here, Stats Perform takes a look at the key facts, stats and figures of her career; in other words, Serena's remarkable legacy.

Twenty-three… and done?

Of course, the headline fact for Williams' career is her grand slam titles count.

She has won 23, which is more than anyone else in the Open era.

But she still had one target left: matching Margaret Court. The Australian's 24 grand slam successes include nine won before the Open era began in 1968, though her overall total has been the benchmark ever since she claimed her final crown at the US Open in 1975.

Clearly, victory for Williams at Flushing Meadows would have been the perfect farewell, but it was not to be. Will that near-miss encourage her to take one more shot in Court's homeland next year?

The finals hurdle

Had Williams managed to reach the championship match in Queens, she would have equalled another record.

She headed into the US Open having played in 33 grand slam finals, one more than Martina Navratilova.

But Chris Evert (34) sits out in front, and that record is now set to remain hers for many, many years.

Top of the pile

It's been a while now since Williams was last the highest-ranked player in the world, but in a way that only further highlights how remarkable her career has been.

She's spent 319 weeks ranked as world number one, which is behind only Steffi Graf (377) and Navratilova (332).

While many might have expected Williams to have been top of the pile for even longer, it's worth remembering how she's spent time out due to injuries and pregnancy, with her general involvement in top-level tennis decreasing after 2014 when she played 16 tournaments – in 2016 that halved to eight, and during no year since has she played in more.

Additionally, some will also be surprised to learn she actually only finished the year as the top-ranked female player five times. Nevertheless, that's still third to only Graf (eight) and Navratilova (seven).

Go hard or go home

Such has been Williams' quality, she was always considered a threat regardless of the surface – she's won each grand slam at least three times.

But there's no denying she was at her most lethal on hard courts.

She has won 48 WTA Tour-level titles on hard courts, which is 11 more than anyone else (Graf) in the Open era.

Those 48 come from a grand total of 73 across all surfaces, leaving her ranked fifth behind Navratilova (167), Evert (157), Graf (107) and Court (92).

Surface to say…

Williams' comfort on hard courts goes even further than that.

She's won 541 matches on the surface, making her one of just two female players to surpass 500 victories on one specific ground type.

Navratilova (600 on carpet) is the only other player to achieve the feat, with Serena's sister Venus (498 on hard) the closest to the 23-time grand slam champion.

The grass is greener

Despite that unrivalled excellence, hard courts may not be the surface many feel to be most synonymous with Williams, however.

Wimbledon is the tournament that would appear to be her favourite.

She's reached the final at SW19 11 times. Only Navratilova can better that record for the most finals at one tournament – though it's worth saying she contested the WTA Finals and Chicago 14 times each, Eastbourne 13 times and 12 at Wimbledon.

Serena Williams' long and illustrious tennis career looks to have drawn to a close after the American lost to Ajla Tomljanovic at the US Open on Friday. 

Following a long piece in Vogue last month, Williams wrote of her plan to "move in a different direction" after "these next few weeks", suggesting the tournament at Flushing Meadows would be her last outing.

Thanks to her success and brilliance on the court, Williams has become synonymous with tennis and is regarded by many as the greatest the women's sport has ever seen.

At the age of 40, Williams has persisted with tennis far longer than most do, and that is testament to her quality and enduring desire for success.

Though Williams left a glimmer of a chance that she may yet play again, joking that she "always did love Australia", she may well have taken to the court for the last time. Here, Stats Perform takes a look at the key facts, stats and figures of her career; in other words, Serena's remarkable legacy.

Twenty-three… and done?

Of course, the headline fact for Williams' career is her grand slam titles count.

She has won 23, which is more than anyone else in the Open era.

But she still had one target left: matching Margaret Court. The Australian's 24 grand slam successes include nine won before the Open era began in 1968, though her overall total has been the benchmark ever since she claimed her final crown at the US Open in 1975.

Clearly, victory for Williams at Flushing Meadows would have been the perfect farewell, but it was not to be. Will that near-miss encourage her to take one more shot in Court's homeland next year?

The finals hurdle

Had Williams managed to reach the championship match in Queens, she would have equalled another record.

She headed into the US Open having played in 33 grand slam finals, one more than Martina Navratilova.

But Chris Evert (34) sits out in front, and that record is now set to remain hers for many, many years.

Top of the pile

It's been a while now since Williams was last the highest-ranked player in the world, but in a way that only further highlights how remarkable her career has been.

She's spent 319 weeks ranked as world number one, which is behind only Steffi Graf (377) and Navratilova (332).

While many might have expected Williams to have been top of the pile for even longer, it's worth remembering how she's spent time out due to injuries and pregnancy, with her general involvement in top-level tennis decreasing after 2014 when she played 16 tournaments – in 2016 that halved to eight, and during no year since has she played in more.

Additionally, some will also be surprised to learn she actually only finished the year as the top-ranked female player five times. Nevertheless, that's still third to only Graf (eight) and Navratilova (seven).

Go hard or go home

Such has been Williams' quality, she was always considered a threat regardless of the surface – she's won each grand slam at least three times.

But there's no denying she was at her most lethal on hard courts.

She has won 48 WTA Tour-level titles on hard courts, which is 11 more than anyone else (Graf) in the Open era.

Those 48 come from a grand total of 73 across all surfaces, leaving her ranked fifth behind Navratilova (167), Evert (157), Graf (107) and Court (92).

Surface to say…

Williams' comfort on hard courts goes even further than that.

She's won 541 matches on the surface, making her one of just two female players to surpass 500 victories on one specific ground type.

Navratilova (600 on carpet) is the only other player to achieve the feat, with Serena's sister Venus (498 on hard) the closest to the 23-time grand slam champion.

The grass is greener

Despite that unrivalled excellence, hard courts may not be the surface many feel to be most synonymous with Williams, however.

Wimbledon is the tournament that would appear to be her favourite.

She's reached the final at SW19 11 times. Only Navratilova can better that record for the most finals at one tournament – though it's worth saying she contested the WTA Finals and Chicago 14 times each, Eastbourne 13 times and 12 at Wimbledon.

World number one Daniil Medvedev was levels above his third-round opponent Yibing Wu on Friday, defeating him 6-4 6-2 6-2 to set up a highly anticipated clash with Nick Kyrgios in his next match.

While Medvedev had the clear power advantage – finishing with 10 more winners and 11 more aces – he also allowed Wu to beat himself, with 18 unforced errors and three winners in the opening set.

Despite his early wastefulness, Wu still created six break point opportunities in the opening set, but could only capitalise on one. It would be his last break of the match as Medvedev tightened the screws down the stretch.

The Russian took the first four matches of the second set to take away any hope Wu had of fighting back into the contest, and in the third set Medvedev's serve really hit top gear.

He faced no break point opportunities in the final frame as he converted over 70 per cent of his points on both first serves (13-of-18) and second serves (eight-of-11), while Wu's errors returned, with 15 and just four winners.

Against Kyrgios next, Medvedev will be looking for his second win against the Australian in their fifth meeting. In their two matches this year – and their only two since 2019 – Medvedev won in four sets at the Australian Open, before Kyrgios got one back at the Canadian Open.

ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS

Medvedev – 12/5

Wu – 1/0

WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS

Medvedev – 26/27

Wu – 16/42

BREAK POINTS WON

Medvedev – 6/12

Wu – 1/8

Nick Kyrgios was far too good J.J. Wolf in the third round of the US Open on Friday, not having his serve broken a single time in the 6-4 6-2 6-3 victory.

Kyrgios dominated the match with his serve, racking up 21 aces to Wolf's five, and of the seven break point opportunities the Australian allowed, he saved all seven.

His return game was sharp as well, creating 11 break points and converting five, and he used it to break away in the second set, rattling off five consecutive games to comfortably go up two sets to love.

The third set was more competitive as Kyrgios had a pair of double faults, and more unforced errors (17) than winners (16), but he ultimately had too much firepower for the 23-year-old American.

After coming back from a love-40 deficit, saving four break points in the game, Kyrgios put the finishing touches on the straight sets win with another break of serve to seal it.

With the win, he books his spot in the fourth round, where he will meet world number one Daniil Medvedev.

Kyrgios has won three of the four career meetings between the pair, including their most recent fixture at the Canadian Open.

ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS

Kyrgios – 21/5

Wolf – 6/1

WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS

Kyrgios – 36/32

Wolf – 20/26

BREAK POINTS WON

Kyrgios – 5/11

Wolf – 0/7

Serena Williams hinted that she will return to the court at some point in the future after going down in the third round of the US Open against Ajla Tomljanovic on Friday.

Williams, who saved five match points before eventually succumbing in the three-plus hour marathon, gave an emotional on-court interview where she thanked her family, but also highlighted that she felt like she was getting better as the tournament wore on.

When asked conclusively if this was her final US Open, she was non-committal, saying "you never know".

She took the insinuation that she is not finished playing a step further during her sit-down press conference, laying the breadcrumbs for another go around at the Australian Open.

"I don't know [what it would take to play again] – I'm not thinking about that. I always did love Australia, though," she said with a smile.

"But yeah, you know what, I've come a long way since last year at Wimbledon. Just not sure if that was my last moment or not. Making it a different moment I think is much better.

"And it takes a lot of work to get here. Clearly I'm still capable. It takes a lot more than that. 

"I'm ready to, like, be a mom, explore a different version of Serena. Technically in the world I'm still super young, so I want to have a little bit of a life while I'm still walking."

When asked what she thinks her life will be like moving forward, Williams said she is excited to be able to spend more time with her daughter, and that karaoke is on the agenda.

"I'm definitely resting tomorrow, and then probably spending some time with my daughter," she said. "I'm a super hands-on mom. I've been with her almost every single day of her life, minus two days or three days.

"It's been really hard on her, my career. So it will be, you know, nice just to do that and spend some time with her, do things that I never really have done or had an opportunity to do. I have such a bright future ahead of me, I don't know.

"Also, I'm kind of at an advantage because COVID happened. I think everyone shut down for a year, and we kind of got to see what our lives would be like if we weren't playing tennis. 

"Then I got injured last year, so I took off literally a year. So I got to see, again, like, what every day would be like to wake up and not have to go to the gym.

"So I don't know. I think I'm definitely probably going to be karaoke-ing tomorrow."

Touching on how she would like her career to be remembered, Williams said her unique passion and fire is at the forefront.

"I mean, there's so many things to be remembered by," she said. "Like the fight. I'm such a fighter. 

"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.

"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."

Serena Williams was emotional during her post-match interview in the sold-out Arthur Ashe Stadium after her loss to Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round, thanking her family for their decades of support.

Williams ended up going down in a match that lasted three hours and seven minutes, with a 15-minute final game where Williams saved five match points illustrating her fighting spirit down to the last moments.

If this is her final US Open – which she was hesitant to confirm – she will finish with the most main draw wins ever at the tournament with 108, and her 23 grand slam titles are also the most of all-time.

Speaking on the court after Tomljanovic gladly ceded the floor to the legend, Williams turned her attention immediately to her family as she reflected on the journey to this point.

"Thank you, Daddy. I know you're watching," she said as she began to tear up. "Thanks, Mom… I thank everyone that's here, that's been on my side so many years, decades. Oh, my gosh, literally decades.

"But it all started with my parents – they deserve everything. So I'm really grateful for them. These are happy tears, I guess. I don't know.

"And I wouldn't be Serena if there wasn't Venus, so thank you, Venus. She's the only reason that Serena Williams ever existed."

She added: "It's been a fun ride. It's been the most incredible ride and journey I've ever been on, I mean, in my life.

"I'm just so grateful to every single person that's ever said 'go, Serena' in their life. I'm just so grateful."

When asked if this would definitely be her last US Open, Williams was hesitant due to how well she performed, and left the question unanswered.

"I mean, I'm literally playing my way into this and getting better – I should have started sooner this year," she said with a laugh.

"I don't think so, but you never know. I don't know."