TNI Bureau: Serena, around the world for over 25 years, you only need to hear or read her first name to recognize this legendary woman. From precocious teenage queen to record-breaking 30-year-old, Serena Williams has dominated, transformed and surpassed tennis.
Less than a month shy of her 41st birthday, the kid who grew up in violent, gang-ridden Compton, California (probably) hung up her racquet and lost in the third round of the US Open.
Serena Williams’ US Open adventure is over, capping a glittering 27-year career that defined a new era in tennis and inspired sponsors to take women athletes more seriously.
Williams lost in three sets to Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York on Friday, a day after she and sister Venus left the doubles competition following a first-round loss.
Throughout her long and illustrious professional career, Serena has been as polarizing as she is powerful.
Serena- The GOAT
Whatever your feelings towards Serena, she’s clearly earned the mythical honor of Greatest Of All Time. She amassed an Open-era record 23 Grand Slam singles titles, one more than Steffi Graf, four more than 1920s and 1930s superstar Helen Wills, and five more than Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert. In addition, like Graf, Serena won a gold medal at the Olympic Games, which reinstated tennis as an official medal sport in 1988. She also posted a near-perfect 14-1 Fed Cup record, won five WTA Finals and had five year-end No. 1 rankings.
Serena’s unique combination of power and foot speed, along with Venus’, revolutionized the way tennis was played. Graf had come closest to that with a strong serve, punishing forehand and furious speed. Court, Billie Jean King and Navratilova boasted excellent serve volley skills and Henin a highly athletic all-court game. Monica Seles relentlessly blasted groundstrokes, but lacked a big serve and dynamic movement.
But none of these superstars had Serena’s intimidating power on all courts, especially on serve and overhead.
No woman in tennis history, champion, challenger or journeyman, played with the wild, primal intensity of Serena. Her menacing gaze, as well as her sturdy, muscular build and explosive shots intimidated opponents, especially young, impressionable players.
Serena’s fiery competitiveness ignited her uncanny ability to play her best when it mattered—on big points and in big finals. During her long heyday, she amassed a terrific 20-4 record in the Grand Slam singles final. A memorable quote early in her career explains why she was so confident in handling the pressures of high stakes.
At just 17, Serena lived up to the massive hype when she won her first Grand Slam title at the 1999 US Open. She did it with a bang, beating five future Hall of Famers – Clijsters, Conchita Martinez, Seles, Lindsay Davenport and Hingis. And while eight weeks pregnant at the age of 35, she captured her last Major at the 2017 Australian Open by beating her sister in the final. In between, this irresistible force beat many elite opponents at the Majors and Olympics. Maybe that’s why Serena has given us fewer memorable games than other Superstars. However, their three most arresting triumphs have been punctuated by dynamic comebacks.
In the 2012 US Open final, Victoria Azarenka, who won the Australian Open in 2011 and 2012, put Serena through her paces. After trailing 3-5 in the deciding set and two points from losing on 30 serve, Serena was able to escape and claim a 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 win over the powerful Belarusian who served Serena’s great returned the favor better than anyone else.
Serena faced an even more dangerous crisis in the semifinals of the 2005 Australian Open. She trailed Maria Sharapova through much of their fierce duel, somehow repelling three match points as the 6’2-inch Russian served for the match at 5-4 in the second set. Serena finally prevailed in the 2-6, 7-5, 8-6 thriller.
In the gripping Wimbledon semifinals of 2009, Serena again escaped a near-defeat. Elena Dementieva, the 2008 Olympic champion from Russia, had a 5-4 match point in the third set. This time, Serena’s low volley winner set the turn for a 6-7, 7-5, 8-6 triumph.
She condemned racism and violence after the brutal killing of black American George Floyd by a white police officer in 2020. Serena supported the #EveryChildAlive campaign by championing affordable, quality health care for every mother and newborn. She has also spoken out about the plague of domestic violence.
Serena is a generous benefactor for various educational, health, and corporate causes. The Serena Williams Foundation helps build schools and provides scholarships and grants to students around the world.
The message on a shirt Serena recently wore exhorted, “Be the Game Changer.” In many ways, this American icon embodied that credo for so many years.