'Age is not what...': Tendulkar pens thoughtful, heartfelt tribute to Serena Williams

Tennis great Serena Williams' 25-year-long career came to an end with a loss against Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round of the ongoing U.S. Open on Friday. Former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar took to his official Twitter handle to pen a heartfelt note for the 41-year-old as she bid adieu to tennis with one last game at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Tendulkar, in his post, said that sports inspires society to push limits and achieve the impossible as he congratulated Williams on her "inspiring career". 

"Age is not what the body tells you, but what your mind tells the body. Teenagers can solve world’s biggest problems, adults can pick up something new & excel. Sport inspires society to push limits & achieve the impossible. Congratulations on an inspiring career, @serenawilliams," Sachin wrote in his tweet.

Notably, Sachin Tendulkar himself retired when he was 40 years old, after a career spanning multiple decades.

Serena Williams' career

Serena won a total of 23 Grand Slam titles in her career that spanned over two decades. This feat makes her inarguably the most decorated Women’s Singles tennis player in history. Her haul of 23 major titles includes seven Australian Open titles, three French Open titles, seven Wimbledon titles, and six US Open titles.

Williams played her first Grand Slam match in 1998 at age 16. Her first match was at the Australian Open, where she beat Irina Spirlea to move to the second round of the tournament. She lost to her older sister Venus Williams in the second round. Williams claimed her first Grand Slam title at age 17 at the 1999 US Open, where she beat Martina Hingis in the final to become the first Black woman after Althea Gibson to win a major tennis championship.

In the US Open 2022, the 40-year-old started her campaign last Monday with a two-set win against Montenegro’s Danka Kovinic. In the second round, Williams picked up a thumping 7-6 (7), 2-6, 6-2 win against No. 2 seed Anett Kontaceit on Wednesday night and secured her place in the third round. Meanwhile, she also teamed with Venus for the women’s doubles event on Thursday night, where they ended up losing the first round.

Image: AP/PTI