As the race to Roland Garros heated up at the Italian Open, another story wound down: Roberta Vinci ended her nearly 20-year long  career in Rome with a loss to Aleksandra Krunic.

The 35-year-old is perhaps most famous for her seismic upset over Serena Williams in the 2015 US Open semifinals, which ruined her bid for a calendar-year Grand Slam. Vinci, of course, did much more throughout her career than that significant upset. She was an accomplished doubles player, winning five Grand Slams, and reached a career-high ranking of No. 7 in the world in singles.

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But on one muggy day in September three years ago, she transcended even those achievements with a performance (and an accompanying post-match interview) for the ages.

Statistically, Vinci entered her match with Williams as one of the biggest underdogs in sports history. Her best singles results up until then were a pair of US Open quarterfinal appearance in 2012 and 2013. Making the 2015 semis was already a soaring achievement. To compete against the greatest player in the history of the game, on such a big occasion, on the biggest stage, would have been ample enough reward for a dedicated career.

Like every match she plays, the pressure was entirely on Williams' shoulders, and Vinci’s game was particularly well-suited to trip up a tight player with her deceptively heavy ball from the forehand side, generous amounts of slice, incredible defense and net finesse.

After cruising to a first set win—just three sets away from the elusive Grand Slam—Williams faltered on the big points, while Vinci stepped up. But it wasn’t just the quirks of Vinci’s game that stood out. It was her determined effort and anticipation skills that helped her come out on top.

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In the end, Vinci played like a woman who simply refused to be a footnote to someone else’s history, and that’s how she deserves to be remembered. Her career and how she went about it is maybe best summed up in her own words during her post-match interview.

“Try to enjoy. Don’t think… Play. Enjoy. Enjoy.”

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