Serena And Murray Savour Early Glory At US Open
US Open
August 30, 2022
Serena Williams inspired a level of adulation so loving and intense that you would have thought she had won the US Open itself.
Instead it was just an opening-round match against Danka Kovinic, safely negotiated 6-3, 6-3.
And yet of course this moment meant so much more than that. A chance to triumph one last time on the big stage and accept the noisy acclaim before it is too late.
Wimbledon 2023 will thrive without Serena because no player is bigger than The Championships.
But of course we will all miss her. Tennis fans are already emotional about the imminent parting of ways – and so is she.
The danger was always going to be that the emotion swirling around this swansong might get the better of the greatest player of all time.
She is only human after all. As vulnerable to self-doubt and magnified pressure as the rest of us. Except that she isn’t like the rest of us, is she?
For decades now, she has appeared almost superhuman – and now the adventure is nearly over. Tennis fans weren’t about to let her go without saluting her in the most passionate way possible.
‘When I walked out, the reception was really overwhelming,’ Serena admitted after her victory. ‘It was loud and I could feel it in my chest.
‘It was a really good feeling. It’s a feeling I’ll never forget. That meant a lot to me.’
Sure, Serena is ‘evolving away from tennis’ as she likes to put it. But tennis is what made her great and tennis is what she has loved and excelled at for so long.
It’s impossible to describe how much she wanted to experience those cheers one last time. Not just a demonstration of respect. A celebration of victory.
And wins don’t come every day for Serena now. They are rare jewels to be treasured by us all. Let’s face it, there might never be another one.
She would have to pull off a remarkable upset to defeat the world number two, Anett Kontaveit in the next round.
‘It’s good that I was able to get this win under my belt,’ Serena confessed. ‘I’m just not even thinking about the next match. I’m just thinking about this moment. I think it’s good for me to live in the moment now.’
And in truth, had she been able to do that for the last few years, she would probably have equalled Margaret Court’s 24 Grand Slam titles and perhaps even surpassed that tally.
Alas, history weighed too heavily on Serena’s shoulders. But now she gets it. The present is everything. Particularly when you can emerge a winner.
Meanwhile Andy Murray also tasted that precious winning feeling at a Grand Slam again.
He too knows his playing days are numbered. Every big moment is to be celebrated as though there might never be another.
It wasn’t a forgone conclusion for Murray against Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina.
The South American threatened to take the first set before Andy overwhelmed him 7-5, 6-3, 6-3.
Murray will probably fancy his chances against the little-known American, Emilio Nava in the next round. But he is too experienced to be complacent.
Like Serena, Murray will make sure he stays in the moment to give himself the best hope of success.
We can expect Andy Murray to appear at Wimbledon 2023. Serena is likely to have retired within weeks of Flushing Meadows though – if not days or hours.
Other greats will emerge to play epic matches on Wimbledon’s famous Centre Court next summer. They always do.
Will you be there to see who shines brightest as a new era dawns?