The sun has set on Serena Williams' historic tennis career.
The 40-year-old legend, who said she will "evolve away" from the sport after the US Open, lost her third-round match at the tournament on Friday, falling 7-5, 6-7 (4), 6-1 to Australia's Ajla Tomljanović.
"Thank you so much. You guys were amazing today," she told the crowd in an on-court interview after the match. "It's been a fun ride."
Over her career, Williams won 23 grand slam singles titles, which is the most in the Open era and one behind the all-time record held by Margaret Court. She also won four Olympic gold medals and over $94.5 million in prize money.
She and her older sister, Venus, transformed the sport when they became professionals as teenage phenoms. They've also teamed up for many grand slam doubles titles, winning 14 titles together.
The two sisters reunited on the court Thursday with a first-round doubles match against Lucie Hradecká and Linda Nosková. They lost 7-6 (5), 6-4.
