Williams, who first won the US Open aged 17 in 1999, said: "At 17 I thought for sure I'd be retired at 28, 29, living my life. So, I would have thought it was a sick joke"
Friday 6 September 2019 13:51, UK
Serena Williams says she never expected to still be playing tennis in her late thirties after she reached the US Open final for a record 10th time.
The 37-year-old American defeated Ukrainian fifth seed Elina Svitolina in the semi-finals and will now face 19-year-old Canadian Bianca Andreescu in the final on Saturday.
Williams has lost her last three major finals, meaning she remains one short of Margaret Court's all-time record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles.
The six-time champion first won at Flushing Meadows as a 17-year-old in 1999.
Asked for her reaction to reaching another US Open final, Williams said: "I would definitely not have believed them.
"At 17 I thought for sure I'd be retired at 28, 29, living my life. So, I would have thought it was a sick joke."
Since the birth of her first child, Olympia, in September 2017, Williams has lost in the past two Wimbledon finals and was also on the wrong end of a controversial US Open final against Naomi Osaka last year.
Williams described reaching the showpiece as "crazy" but conceded she didn't "really expect too much less".
Williams will become the oldest women's champion in Grand Slam history with victory against Andreescu, surpassing the age mark she set in winning the 2017 Australian Open at 35 while pregnant.
"I think it's cool that I've been in more finals than I think anyone on tour after being pregnant. I think that's kind of awesome.
"I look at it that way because it's not easy to go through what I did and come back, and so fast. To keep playing, to also not be 20 years old, I'm pretty proud of myself."
Williams insists she would still be competing on tour, despite her reservations over the length of her career when she first started out, if she had already surpassed Court's tally.
"I would definitely still be playing if I had already passed it. I've had so many chances to pass it and to have a lot more, but it's cool because I'm playing in an era - five eras with so many amazing players.
"If you look at the span of the career, the players I've played, it's amazing that I was able to get this many [Grand Slam titles]."
Svitolina, who was competing in her second consecutive Grand Slam semi-final, was in no doubt about the extraordinary achievements of Williams during her career.
"What she does is an unbelievable effort on a daily basis. You have to work every day. You have to be always ready, always prepared for any match," Svitolina said.
"What she does and what she achieved, it's something unbelievable. For sure, everyone dream about it. For now, only her who can do it."
