American tennis great, Serena Williams, played her last match yesterday. She was competing in her last Grand Slam. The crowd at the Arthur Ashe stadium was firmly behind the legend as she took the court against Australian tennis star, Ajla Tomljanović. The Australian knew already that the crowd was going to be against her.

However, she kept her head high as she remembered an important advice from her father.

Advice from Ajla Tomljanović’s father that helped her in the match

Going into her third-round match against the great Serena Williams, playing in her last US Open, Tomljanovic was sure she will become a villain for the crowd. However, her father, a former professional handball player, gave her some important advice. Here’s what he revealed later.

“I was joking with her, because in my sport when I was playing when we played in front of away fans, I played in crazy environments,” he said. He further added, “They were spitting on us, throwing things, even one match all the spectators went in and it was a fight. So I tried to explain to her that (what she will face against Serena) it’s nothing, it’s just cheering. I was making fun of this,” he said.

Apart from that, her father gave an example from a Kevin Costner movie. “I don’t know the name (For the Love of the Game), when he was a pitcher and then he was trying to pitch the perfect game and it’s a scene where he was thinking so clearly and he didn’t see anything except the ball,” he concluded.

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With this win, Tomljanovic has made herself immortal in the history books. The world will now remember her as the player who defeated Serena Williams for the last time in her career.

Serena Williams saved five match points before the loss

Serena Williams gave a tough fight to her Aussie opponent. The 40-year-old lost her first set 6-7. However, she kept fighting and claimed the second set.

In the decider set, she was not able to match up with the Australian who was leading now with 5-1. Serena gave it her all in the final moments of her career. The legendary tennis star saved five match points before going down. It was a fitting way to end a career that has been an example of grit and determination.

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In a three-hour-long match, Serena made sure to play up to her reputation. We wish the legend a happy post-retirement life.