NEW YORK – On Tuesday afternoon, the 2th of the quietest Grand Slam in history, the all-prolific tennis champion of the time will walk on the blue court on the floor of Arthur Ashe Stadium.
It would possibly not be received by 23,500 fans, as it has since winning its first U.S. Open 21 years ago.You may not want a phalanx of bodyguards to leave the area or defend on selfies and autographs.
Serena Williams, soon to be 39, is here for a singular mission, COVID-19 or not: a terrible virus has plagued the world. Six of the 10 most sensitive players in the WTA rankings decided not to participate, adding desffinishing Champion Bianca Andreescu and the two most productive players in the world: Ashleigh Barty and Simona Halep.Williams is in the midst of the longest primary name drought of his career: 44 months and more, dating back to the early days of the Trump administration.His efforts to finish it and make a new story will be the dominant story of the 140th edition of the US flagship tournament.regardless of whether you need to put an asterisk next to your name.
“It still has to be tennis, asterisk or not,” said Williams, third seed.”I think this total year deserves an asterisk because it’s such a special year, a story that never crossed in this world, to be honest, not this generation, not this life.It’s just in the story, period.
With 23 primary titles, adding six here at Flushing Meadows, Williams remained one behind Margaret Court in the all-time Grand Slam lead for a long and boring time.was born to her daughter Olympia (although she was pregnant in the tournament).Williams has played in four Slam finals in the last two years – two at Wimbledon, two in New York – and finished in each.She smiled and said she was “definitely proudly trapped here as a group,” however, her sarcasm was as hot as her much-vasacked service.
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“I think it’s getting harder and harder not to let you go,” said Kim Clijsters, 37, who plays at his first Open in eight years.A friend and longtime rival of Williams, Clijsters won his playable 2009 finale, when Williams knocked out after threatening a line to pass trial with a foul on the foot.
“She’s still running very hard, very passionate there,” Clijsters said.”She’s a wonderful competitor, that’s right. You can only help someone who has completed so much and done so much.To keep fighting there, I think it’s amazing.”
Williams’ first circular opponent will be fellow American Kristie Ahn, 28, who ranks 96th and had a career in motion in the fourth circular a year ago.In the resumption of the tour, Williams has not been the overwhelming force he is regularly.The five matches he played were in three sets. He gave Greece’s Maria Sakkari a big lead last week at the Open Tuneup at the Western and South Open and lost 6-1 in the third.Before that, he lost in the quarter-finals in Lexington, Kentucky, to compatriot Shelby Rogers, the No.93 global.
On the plus side, after betting only 15 games in 2020, Williams is taking the box much fitter and fresher than it usually is at this level of the year.Having suffered a pulmonary embolism birth, she had serious doubts about whether she would play tennis in the middle of a pandemic, however, Stacey Allaster, the tournament’s new (and first female) CEO, convinced her that the Open’s strict fitness and protection protocols would minimize the risks to everyone involved.Williams joked that he might wear a HAZMAT suit in the box, but he signed.
So here he is, with an open lifetime record of 101-13, back in search of the elusive number 24 main.What I was looking for seemed to weigh on it as a brick platform.He’s going to be an Open like no other, others before him.He said he’s looking for pace and hopes to be able to play, even in peace.
“I don’t mind not having enthusiasts, ” said Williams.” I would love the enthusiasts to be there, because it is very special to play with the enthusiasts and lift me up when I am depressed, but at the same time we have to be safe now, so we have no one; when we all feel better, we can all go back and have fun.