Former ASB Classic director Karl Budge has been left ruing his missed opportunity to party down with tennis royalty, as Serena Williams lowers the curtain on her career at the US Open.
Williams, 40, bowed out of her home Grand Slam - a tournament she has won six times - with a three-set third-round defeat to Australian Ajla Tomljanovic, seemingly bidding farewell to fans with a dramatic centrecourt exit.
The tennis legend is still one victory short of Margaret Court's record 24 Grand Slam singles titles, but is widely regarded as the greatest women's player - perhaps the greatest male or female - ever.
She seems to have left the door ajar on further appearances at lesser events or in doubles combination with older sister Venus, but Budge is sure we've seen the last of her chase for the singles record.
"You don't get to create the legacy she's had without being really strong in what you're doing and how you're going about it," he told AM. "Every decision Serena makes is made with a heap of confidence behind it and it's taken a long time for her to get to this decision.
"Watching those pictures, I think she looked pretty content in the decision."
Now NZL SailGP director, Budge knows the Williams family better than most, after a relationship spanning two decades on the international tennis circuit. That connection once led to an unusual invitation that he now remembers with mixed feelings.
"Venus actually invited me to go to the Williams family reunion that they do every year in Florida," he said. "You've got to choreograph your own dance and songs - it's a wild experience and I'm not sure I had enough confidence to do that.
"I didn't go. I flirted with it for quite a while, but I was quite happy to keep the relationship a little bit more professional."
Both sisters have appeared at the ASB Classic, but Serena's first visit to Auckland is remembered for an ill-tempered, early exit in windy conditions that threatened to taint her reputation among Kiwi fans.
"You sit back on the Sunday night before the tournament started, thinking you're in the week of your career and a storm rolled through, players got knocked out, players withdrew with injury and then there was a rather windy day unfortunately.
"It was a tough one all ways round, because she had just found out she was pregnant at that stage and as an athlete chasing history... that must have been a hell of a rollercoaster emotionally. You can look back and understand that.
"One of the coolest parts of that Serena story is she knew she hadn't done what she needed to do for us in Auckland and it took us about 40 seconds to negotiate for her to come back. She wanted to come back and make amends.
"She played every single day of the tournament, won singles and made the final of doubles with Caroline [Wozniacki]. I think we saw the best side of Serena that last time."
But Williams' legacy extends well beyond the court, with the sisters blazing a trail for Black women on the sporting landscape.
"They're awesome people and what they've done for the game," said Budge. "What they've done for sport, women's rights, women-of-colour rights has just been phenomenal.
"They are athlete that come through and are great in their sport, and there are others that change it. When I look at these two sisters, the world is a far better place for having them do what they've done.
"The reason there's equal pay on the WTA tour is really because of Venus Williams, so their legacy goes far beyond just their playing legacy. I'm not sure you'll ever see another Serena Williams come through."
