Serena begins her final quest for 24th Slam before ending stellar career

Unless Serena Williams has a change of heart, tennis fans will be watching the final chapter of one of the world’s most legendary sports stars career at this year’s U.S. Open, which starts on Monday in New York.

Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam champion, unveiled her likely plan to retreat from tennis in perfect Serena-style earlier this month.

The 40-year-old penned a piece for a Vogue magazine cover story where she indicated her plan is to “evolve” away from tennis. A large part of her decision stems from a desire to fulfill her soon-to-be, 5-year-old daughter Olympia’s wish to be a big sister.

“I’ve been reluctant to admit to myself or anyone else that I have to move on from playing tennis,” Williams wrote in the Vogue article. “I know that a lot of people are excited about and look forward to retiring, and I really wish I felt that way.

“I hate that I have to be at this crossroads.”

If Williams could fulfill one dream at the upcoming U.S. Open it would be to win the title and equal Australian Margaret Court’s record of 24 Grand Slam single trophies. She will start her campaign for a seventh U.S. Open crown against 80th-ranked Danka Kovinic of Montenegro on Monday night.

If Williams gets by Kovinic, her road to reaching the semifinals is fraught with pitfalls, starting with No. 2 seed Anett Konteveit of Estonia on tap as her likely second-round opponent. Further along she could face No. 23 seed and 2021 French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova of Czech Republic in the fourth round, and No. 5 seed and recent Wimbledon finalist Ons Jabeur of Tunisia or No. 10 seed Daria Kasatkina of Russia in the quarterfinals.

Williams has been missing-in-action while nursing a knee injury over the past year. Following retiring in the first set of her first-round match at 2021 Wimbledon, she didn’t play again until making a less than triumphant return to the tour at this year’s Wimbledon, losing her first match played in a year to Harmony Tan of France.

Since the Wimbledon disappointment, Williams has continued to look rusty in matches. She reached the second-round in Toronto, but lost to last year’s U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu of Great Britain in the first round at Cincinnati.

It seems befitting for Williams, who reigned as the world No. 1 for a total of 319 weeks in her career, to bow out of the game at the place where she won her first major title as a 17-year-old in 1999. Williams, ranked No. 6 at the time, upset then No. 1 Martina Hingis, 18, who had already won all seven of her career Grand Slam singles trophies.

Serena’s older sister, Venus, 42, a seven-time Grand Slam champion, is playing the U.S. Open courtesy of a wild card. Unlike Serena, however, Venus has yet to offer a definitive statement regarding when she plans to retire. On Saturday, Venus and Serena were given a wild card for the doubles.

Currently ranked No. 1445 on the WTA computer, Venus will play No. 42 Alison Van Uytvanck of Belgium on Tuesday.

No. 12 seed Coco Gauff of Delray Beach, a finalist at the recent French Open, will also be in action on Monday, taking on qualifier Leolia Jeanjean of France.

Gauff credits Serena Williams with providing the inspiration for her to pick up a racket. As a 4-year-old in 2009, Gauff watched Williams play a match on TV and then declared to her parents she wanted to play tennis.

Back then, Gauff didn’t quite understand how important Williams was in the game. As an 18-year-old, she not only appreciates Williams’s achievements, but the doors she has opened for those who follow.

“I think it’s hard to dominate for generations,” Gauff said. “That’s why for me, she’s always going to be considered the G.O.A.T. She didn’t dominate one generation. She didn’t dominate for two generations. She dominated for three-plus generations. I don’t think anybody else did that.”

Naomi Osaka, who grew up in South Florida, will play the No. 19 seed Danielle Collins, also a Floridian, in the first-round. Osaka is looking for a third U.S. Open title and fifth overall Grand Slam trophy.

Two other South Floridians — No. 24 seed Amanda Anisimova and wild-card recipient Sofia Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion, who is coming off an ankle injury — are also in action at the Open.

In the men’s draw, South Florida’s Stefan Kozlov will have an uphill battle facing defending champion and world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev of Russia in the first-round on Monday.

World No. 2 Novak Djokovic, a 21-time Grand Slam champion, is not competing at this Open as he remains unvaccinated for COVID-19. Foreigners are required to be vaccinated to enter the United States.

No. 2 seed Rafael Nadal, who holds the men’s record for Grand Slam trophies with 22, is playing here for the first time since he won his fourth US Open trophy in 2019. He will face Australian wild-card recipient Rinky Hijikata on Tuesday.

Nadal, 36, won the Australian and French Open titles this year before an abdominal injury forced him to retire ahead of his Wimbledon semifinal match in July.

“It’s [the U.S. Open] one of the most important places in my tennis career, without a doubt, Nadal said on Friday. “Well, have been tough to deal with tear in abdominal. It’s a tough injury because it’s dangerous, it’s risky.

“With the tools that I have today, I hope to be competitive enough to give myself a chance.”