Tennis will go on without Serena Williams. She has to.
Of course, it will not be easy, given the importance of such a figure on and off the pitch. But that’s what the sport should do, even when the superstars are gone. They all have to and the competition must continue.
The 2023 Australian Open begins on Monday (Sunday night in the Americas). It will be the first Grand Slam tournament to take place since Williams said goodbye at the US Open in September, shortly before his 41st birthday.
The holder of 23 major singles titles, Williams said she preferred the term “evolve” to “retire.” Now, she will experience a tennis test after Serena on the big stages.
Instead, its impact will not go away. As US Open Director Stacey Allaster said: “She leaves behind an incredible legacy of grace and effort that will inspire athletes, male and female, for generations to come.”
There are sure to be those who will follow up on hard data over the next few weeks at Melbourne Park, throughout the remainder of the campaign and in the years to come. They will analyze data such as attendance at the stands or television audience levels to measure the effect of the departure of someone who has earned celebrity status.
But in a way, that’s not the most relevant thing.
“Her legacy is really vast, to the point where one can’t even describe it in words. She changed the sport a lot. She made it known to people who had never heard of tennis, ”said Naomi Osaka, 25-year-old Japanese, who has won four Grand Slam titles but has not played a full match since August and will miss the Australian Open.
“I honestly think that she is like the biggest force in the sport. It’s not that I intentionally try to minimize (Roger) Federer or (Rafael) Nadal. I just think she’s the biggest thing in the sport.”
In recent decades, there has been concern about what would happen in tennis when Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova or Steffi Graff stopped playing. Or when Bjon Borg, John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and many more did it.
“There’s always a loss when great players leave, but I’ve been at this for six or seven generations,” explained Billie Jean King, two-time International Tennis Hall of Fame inductee, winner of 12 Grand Slam singles trophies. and another 27 in women’s or mixed doubles.
“I want to say: I remember when Sampras retired or when Martina and Chris did, I was like ‘Oh no! What is going to happen?’. Well, Sampras arrived and guess what? There’s Roger Federer and Nadal… It’s the same with women… The variety of good players out there is better than ever, and Serena is somewhat responsible for that, because each generation builds on the previous one.” .
Shortly after Williams lost to Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round of the US Open, Federer, another tennis titan with 20 major titles, announced his retirement.
Federer had not played an official match in more than a year, as a result of a series of knee operations.
In Williams’s case, there were times when she took long periods away from competition, either for health reasons or because she simply wanted time for other activities, which she herself says contributed to her longevity on the slopes.
Steve Simon, CEO and Chairman of the WTA Board, thinks that these breaks gave space for some new faces to emerge in women’s tennis, as in the case of the Polish Iga Swiatek, current ranking leader, or the young American Coco Gauff.
“Either way, Serena has played what I would say has been a limited schedule for the last couple of years. So it’s clear that we have a new group of stars coming in, establishing themselves and doing well,” Simon added. “But I see that we will continue to celebrate Serena. And hopefully she comes back and plays another five to 10 years.”
But those who came to tennis thanks to Williams – whether they are tennis players or players – will remain here beyond that term.
“Serena got a lot of people interested in our sport, and now it’s up to the next generation to do that,” King said. “People, the press, are always saying this: ‘Oh, somebody’s leaving! happen?’ Someone always comes out on top. The cream always goes to the top.”
