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'Tough to watch': Serena Williams breaks down in 'devastating' scenes

andrew reid
·4-min read
Seen here, Serena Williams was reduced to tears in her press conference on Thursday.
Serena Williams choked back tears before leaving her press conference on Thursday. Pic: AAP

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.

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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.

Pictured here, Serena Williams waves goodbye to fans at Melbourne Park on Thursday.
Serena Williams was gracious in defeat against Naomi Osaka on Thursday at Melbourne Park. Pic: AAP

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.

"Honestly, it was opportunities where I could have won. I could have been up five-love. I just made so many errors."

Twenty-four in fact, to just 12 winners.

Asked how she hoped to juggle tennis with travel and motherhood during the ongoing pandemic, Williams was in no mood to reveal her plans.

"I feel like I haven't really thought about that so much," she said.

"But I think going through last year with the pandemic was definitely interesting. So I have a little experience under my belt with that, I guess.

"But, yeah, those are things that I haven't really thought about."

Williams was then asked whether her unforced error count was "just one of those bad days at the office".

The seven-time Australian Open champion began to answer the question but suddenly broke down in tears and cut the post-match press conference short.

Teary Serena leaves fans heartbroken

Then, breaking down in tears, the seven-times Australian Open champion

"I don't know," Williams said. "I'm done."

Many of Williams' fans said they were brought to tears watching the interview, with many taking it as a sign that her retirement is imminent.

with AAP

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