US Open: Tennis Queen Serena Williams - exceptional talent and inspiration
Almost everything revolves around Serena Williams at the start of the US Open. The icon gives her farewell performance.
by SID
last edit: Aug 28, 2022, 09:58 am
Ticket prices shot through the roof, tennis legends outdid each other in praise and the first day of the tournament announced itself as the emotional high point of the US Open: before the start in New York, almost everything revolved around Serena Williams. The tennis queen is at the Grand Slam for the last time in front of a home crowd - she no longer has to win.
Serena, the younger of the two Williams sisters, has long since achieved a status that goes far beyond tennis. Like Michelle Obama, pop star Beyonce Knowles or TV star Oprah Winfrey, the exceptional 40-year-old with her aura and influence is an inspiration - especially for black women in the USA. Williams proved that you can dream big.
Serena Williams: "I care more about business things"
The athletic woman was driven by her inexhaustible ambition, with which she wants to be successful again in her first round match on Monday evening local time (from 1 a.m. CEST/Eurosport) against Danka Kovinic from Montenegro. Williams previously spoke to her friend Duchess Meghan about the upcoming change on the podcast "Archetypes" (Spotify). "Of course I'm finishing my professional career, but it's also a development," said Williams. "I'm more concerned with business things." And her daughter Olympia is to have a sibling.
But on Monday, and maybe one or two more rounds after that, Williams wants to bring her spectacular power to the hard court again. She has won 23 Grand Slams, only one missing from the record set by Australian Margaret Court. It will probably stay that way, and Williams can now live with it.
Even so, she is called GOAT by legends like John McEnroe as well as by the new generation with super talent Coco Gauff - as the greatest in history. She won seven titles in Melbourne, three in Paris, seven at Wimbledon and six at the US Open. The first in 1999 at the age of 17.
Williams, who also accepted a wild card for the doubles competition with her sister Venus (42), was number one in the world for a total of 319 weeks. Only Steffi Graf (377) and Martina Navratilova (332) are ahead of her in the statistics.
Favorites for the title are others
The extroverted American is no longer one of the favorites in 2022, her great successes are too far behind. First and foremost is the Pole Iga Swiatek, who recently stormed to the title in Paris in a dominant manner. Gauff also wants to emulate her role model Serena more and more.
For Williams himself, it will be about getting the emotions under control in order to be able to get their best possible again. Most recently in Toronto it became obvious how difficult it is for her to say goodbye to the big stage, tears ran down her cheeks. In New York, the feelings will probably become even more intense.