“It’s unprofessional, it’s not cool” – Serena Williams made what many Americans considered the biggest mistake of her life, leaving them disappointed.

Serena Williams entered the 2020 Australian Open as one of the top favorites, having recently claimed the ASB Classic in Auckland. However, her time in Melbourne turned out to be disappointing, as she was eliminated unexpectedly in the third round.

Williams’ opponent, Chinese No. 27 seed Wang Qiang, defeated her in a tense match. After losing the first set 4-6, the 23-time Grand Slam champion fought back to win the second set 7-6(2) in a tiebreaker. However, Wang broke Williams’ serve in the third set, ultimately winning 6-4, 6-7(2), 7-5, sending Williams out of the tournament.

Following the match, Williams expressed shock at her defeat, revealing she had expected the momentum from her second-set win to carry her through to victory. While praising her opponent, she was critical of her own performance, calling it unprofessional and uncharacteristic of her usual standards.

“I was optimistic about winning and thought, ‘OK, now finish this off,’” Williams said. “I honestly didn’t think I was going to lose. I didn’t return like Serena. If we’re being honest, I lost that match. I can’t play like that. I literally can’t do that again. It’s unprofessional and not cool. I’m better than that,” she added.

Williams returned to the Australian Open in 2021, reaching the semifinals before losing to eventual champion Naomi Osaka.

In her press conference, Williams made it clear that her age should not be used as an excuse for her loss. She was determined to train the very next day to ensure she never played that way again. “I’m way too old to play like this at this stage of my career,” she said. “Definitely going to be training tomorrow to make sure I don’t do this again.”

Unfortunately, 2020 marked the beginning of the end of her career. After a limited season in 2020 and even less play in 2021, she retired in 2022 after her final appearance at the US Open.