Column: Serena Williams taps crowd’s energy to fend off retirement and win at U.S. Open
NEW YORK — Every time Serena Williams wobbled or became frustrated, the crowd willed her to be strong and steady.
Every time she double-faulted, fans applauded to console and encourage her. Each point she won from Danka Kovinic of Montenegro on Monday triggered loud roars from every corner of jam-packed Arthur Ashe Stadium. No one wanted this U.S. Open first-round match, this emotionally charged moment, Williams’ groundbreaking career, to end just yet and certainly not in disappointment.
Williams, who will be 41 next month and said she’s “evolving” away from tennis, gave the crowd what it so passionately wanted on a night that was part competition, part celebration, and altogether electric.
Wearing a new black skater-style dress with a glittery top, matched by a glittery headband, sparkly shoes and shiny stones woven through her hair, she overcame early serving problems and clawed out a 6-3, 6-3 victory over her 27-year-old opponent. Her nearly 5-year-old daughter Olympia, wearing an identical outfit and white hair beads similar to those Williams wore when she won her first U.S. Open title in 1999, cheered from courtside.
“The crowd was crazy. They really helped me pull through,” Williams said during an on-court interview. “I was like, ‘I got this.’ ”
The U.S. Open will begin Monday with all eyes on Serena Williams, who recently said she’s “evolving away from tennis” as she nears her 41st birthday.
A six-time singles champion at Flushing Meadows and a 23-time Slam singles champion, Williams is unseeded here because she’s early in her return from a year’s absence because of a hamstring injury. Trained by her father Richard to be a fighter since he taught her and her sister Venus to play on public courts in Compton, she drew on that instinct to regroup after Kovinic broke her serve to take a 3-2 lead in the first set.
Williams won the last four games on sheer grit and impressively good movement. She became more consistent on her serve in the second set, and she finished with nine aces and six double faults. She also had 23 winners and 25 unforced errors to 18 and 25, respectively, for Kovinic.
“The more tournaments I play, I feel like the more I can belong out there. That’s a tough feeling to have, and to leave knowing the more you do it, the more you can shine,” Williams said. “But it’s time for me, you know, to evolve to the next thing. I think it’s important because there’s so many other things that I want to do.”
She next will face No. 2 seed Anett Kontaveit of Estonia on Wednesday. That should pose a bigger challenge than 80th-ranked Kovinic. But it’s a question of how closely her body, a bit slower now and slower to heal, can obey her mind.
“At this point, honestly, everything is a bonus for me, I feel. I mean, I think every opponent is very difficult. I’ve seen that over the summer. The next one is even more difficult,” Williams said.
“It’s good that I was able to get this under my belt. I don’t know, I’m just not even thinking about that. I’m just thinking about just this moment. I think it’s good for me just to live in the moment now.”
If she gets past Konteveit, can she mount one last magical challenge for a title, especially since she’s also playing doubles with Venus? Her lack of match play works against her — Monday’s match was only her fifth this year — but the unpredictability in women’s tennis works in her favor.
Former world No. 1 Simona Halep, a two-time Slam singles champion and the No. 7 seed, was considered a contender here but was eliminated by Ukrainian qualifier Daria Snigur, who prevailed 6-2, 0-6, 6-4. Also surprising, No. 10 seed Daria Kasatkina, winner of a tournament in Granby, Canada, last week, lost to unseeded Harriet Dart of Great Britain in three sets.
Other big names advanced but some struggled in the heat and thick humidity. No. 3 Maria Sakkari was pushed to three sets by Tatjana Maria, and 2019 champion Bianca Andreescu needed three sets to defeat Harmony Tan, but No. 12 Coco Gauff — also a contender here — eased past Leolia Jeanjean in straight sets.
After her match, Gauff paid tribute to Williams’ trailblazing feats.
“I definitely wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for her,” Gauff told the crowd. “I hope that we can see her for some more rounds here, but to be honest, she doesn’t owe anything else on the court. I’m just thankful for her.”
Williams walked out to the court to a video of her career highlights, narrated by Queen Latifah. She was overwhelmed by the rousing ovation she received.
“It’s a feeling I’ll never forget,” she said.
Complete coverage from the Los Angeles Times of what could be the final Grand Slam of Serena Williams’ prolific career at the 2022 U.S. Open.
She’ll have time to remember it when she retires ... or, as she insists on saying, continues her evolution. She hasn’t definitively said the Open will be her last tournament, but she hasn’t said it won’t be.
“I’ve been pretty vague about it, right?” she said, smiling. “I’m going to stay vague because you never know.”
There’s one thing she’s sure of. Asked by morning-show personality Gayle King during a fawning on-court interview what she wanted people to think about her, Williams spoke about the truth behind cliches about never giving up. “I just want people to be inspired by my story,” she said. “I’m from Compton, Calif., you know?”
She left Compton long ago but she hasn’t forgotten where she came from. Soon, she’ll learn how far she can go in her life evolution. Monday wasn’t the right moment for it to begin.
Go beyond the scoreboard
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