For what was probably her last appearance, the 40-year-old chose the US Open, where she won the first of her 23 Grand Slam titles in 1999. So the circle closes for an icon of women’s sports in the Big Apple. The home crowd will give her an unforgettable farewell, perhaps in her opening match on Tuesday night against Danka Kovinic from Montenegro.
Night session, nearly 24,000 spectators at Arthur Ashe Stadium – all eyes on Williams. Just like later in doubles with sister Venus, there was a wildcard from the organizer.
Rush for tickets
There was a rush for tickets after Serena announced her retirement to Vogue magazine. Regular $35 tickets for the opening night are said to have sold for as much as $7,000 on the black market. Chris Widmaier, spokesman for the US Tennis Association, compared the Williams effect to a “tsunami”.
Williams doesn’t want to disappoint the fans at their 21st US Open, even if the mother of a four-year-old daughter has long since passed her peak in sport. She doesn’t know if she can win the last Grand Slam tournament of the year, she said, “but I’ll try”.
One day Williams will try to break Margaret Court’s all-time major record (24 titles), but no one thinks such a fairytale career end is likely. Since her comeback this year after a one-year injury break, there has been a first-round loss at Wimbledon, a win in Toronto and a first-round loss in Cincinnati.
“Best Player of All Time”
So the US Open triumph would be a sensation. Your last big success was five and a half years ago. But even without this happy ending, Williams is guaranteed respect for all time. Not only for defending champion Emma Raducanu, twice her age, Williams is “probably the best tennis player of all time”.
Rafael Nadal spoke highly of Williams. “From a tennis point of view, it’s a big loss that she’s leaving. Now she deserves to be able to choose what she wants to do. She is a legend. I hope she will remain involved in the tennis world.” World number one Iga Swiatek admires Williams’ triple burden as a professional player, mother and businesswoman: “I would be happy if I could do it one day.”
Inspiration for Coco Gauff
With her successes and self-confident demeanor, she has also inspired the black population in the USA and also given them a voice. US tennis hope Coco Gauff revealed: “Growing up, I never thought I was different because the number one in the world was someone who looked like me.”
Can Williams really let go of tennis? Shortly before the start of the tournament, she flirted with a possible return. “You never know. I’ve learned in my career never to say never,” she said.
