Serena Williams 'lives' to play another day with epic win
Serena Williams may have a body of a 40-year-old woman, but in her heart, she is an unbeatable warrior, and she proved just that in her debut at the US Open 2022 by beating Montenegrin Danka Kovinic in straight sets. At the end of the match (6-3, 6-3), the Arthur Ashe Stadium paid an emotional tribute to Serena Williams showing a video and the phrase "We love Serena" with a football-style mosaic while the crowd happily chanted her name.
Serena Williams has won the Grand Slam 23 times
The 23-time Grand Slam winner took to the court in a figure skating-inspired black dress of her own design, complete with a train, crystals, diamonds, and gold, while her sponsor Nike provided the diamond-encrusted shoes.
Who saw Serena at the US Open
Spike Lee was at the coin toss while the stands were filled with politicians and celebrities like Bill Clinton, Queen Latifah, Mike Tyson and Anna Wintour, but for Williams, her biggest fan was her daughter Olympia, who sported a matching set.
Williams has now won 107 matches in New York, and 102 of those have been at Arthur Ashe Stadium, nearly half of them at night.
What's next for Serena Williams?
She is already scheduled to play doubles later this week with older sister Venus, but Serena landed another singles date, with No. 2 seed Anett Kontaveit, on Wednesday. The anticipation, like Williams' legacy, will be huge.
Serena, the woman of records in women's tennis
The crowd roared loudly in the sold-out Arthur Ashe, that was with her every step of the way. Williams became the fourth woman in the Open Era to win matches as a teenager, as well as in her 20s, 30s, and 40s, joining Martina Navratilova, her sister Venus and Kimiko Date. For the record, she has a 21-0 record in the first round of the US Open, losing only two sets to Nicole Pratt in 1998 and Anca Barna in 2001.
The Greatest
In today's world of short attention spans, let that sink into your consciousness for a moment. Serena turned pro more than two dozen years ago and won the first of her 23 Grand Slam singles titles 23 years ago. No wonder the current issue of Time magazine features Williams on the cover with the headline, "The Greatest."
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