It was all ready for the grand goodbye of the “Greatest of all times”, just in case. Dozens of celebrities and friends were invited to the Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday night to officiate what could have been the send-off from tennis of Serena Williams, arguably one of the best tennis players the game has ever known, if not the best.
Her first round against Montenegrin Danka Kovinic (WTA n. 76) delivered a 91-minute shaky match that Serena won 6-3, 6-3, starting in a very tentative way (the first six games required almost 40 minutes and saw four breaks) and progressively becoming more relaxed after the first set went her way.
In her astonishing diamond-encrusted Nike dress, matching a similar outfit worn by her 5-year-old daughter Olympia who watched her from the stands, Serena Williams turned the first set around when she hit a screamer forehand down the line as Kovinic was serving to go up 4-2, and that ball hit a sliver of the baseline to deny her opponent that game. Williams went on to win 10 points in a row and then closed out the first set in a 16-point final game.
In the second set, the American champion became almost untouchable on her own serve, losing only four points while serving and putting even more pressure on the opponent with her return.
The USTA had organized a “post-match” celebration to make sure they had the proper outlet to say goodbye in case this ended up to be the final chapter in Serena Williams’ tennis career, with tv host Gayle King as master of ceremonies and the unmissable presence of legend Billie Jean King.
“It could have been her last match… but Serena didn’t think so”, said Gayle King. “You are fearless. … Thank you for sharing your journey with every single one of us,” continued Billie Jean King. “I love you all”, ended Serena, as she watched in awe at the people in the stands form the words “We love Serena” holding up the signs left on their seats by the USTA.
The next hurdle for Serena will be the no. 2 seed Anett Kontaveit, who is arriving at the US Open following a lackluster period seeing her going past the quarterfinals only once in the last 10 tournaments. Williams will try to prolong her career one more time and continue her run at this year’s US Open that is now presenting her with a possible draw into the second week.
