(New York) What if Serena Williams evolves to a 24e Grand Slam title rather than retirement, the word she did not want to use when announcing her upcoming departure from competition in the magazine voguethree weeks ago ?
Posted at 5:00 a.m.
The question may seem premature, even unreasonable, but spectators at the Arthur Ashe stadium and the most fervent admirers of Williams must have asked it on Wednesday evening when they saw the legend of American tennis beat Estonian Anett Kontaveit in three sets, 7-6 (4), 2-6 and 6-2.
It’s not just that Williams advanced to the third round of a tournament for the first time since returning to action after 14 months out.
It’s not just that she showed a poise, even a brilliance, that she had lacked in the five games she played earlier this summer.
It is also that she achieved this feat against the second player in the world.
PHOTO COREY SIPKIN, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Tiger Woods attended Serena Williams’ game on Wednesday.
How then not to start dreaming a little? How can we not imagine a scenario where Williams would end his career in New York with a seventh title?
“I still have some fuel left,” Williams said in an on-court interview with Mary Jo Fernández after the 2-hour, 27-minute match.
When the former player asked Williams if she had been surprised by her level of play, the winner looked at her laughing, pretending to be surprised that one could be surprised at such a thing.
“I’m just Serena,” she replied, prompting roars of laughter from the onlookers. “Honestly, after losing the second set, I was like, ‘Oh my God, I have to give my best effort, because this could be the end. »
But the end will wait at least one more turn.
“I have fun and I enjoy it”
The match was played in front of a raucous but less wild crowd, less electric than Monday night’s at Arthur-Ashe Stadium, where celebrities including golfer and Serena Williams confidant Tiger Woods were once again in attendance .
When the two players appeared on the court, the stadium was still half empty, as is often the case for the start of the first matches of the evening there.
But the level of the game was much higher than Monday night. The two players participated in long rallies, going blow for blow throughout a first set that ended in a tiebreaker.
Williams, who had missed the chance to win the set by serving at 5-4, finished the tiebreak with an ace in the shape of an exclamation point.
The stadium exploded.
PHOTO COREY SIPKIN, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Anett Kontaveit congratulates Serena Williams after the game.
The queen of Queens, however, failed to maintain the same intensity in the second set, losing her first two serves. She made her way to the locker room at the end of this round dominated from start to finish by the Estonian.
Reinvigorated, she reversed the tables in the decisive third set, quickly regaining a serve she had lost and winning the set over her rival’s.
Williams had just released the 2e seeded in the tournament. Does she herself believe in her chances of winning her seventh title in New York at the age of 40?
“I can’t think that far ahead,” she said at a press conference. I am here, as I said. I have fun and enjoy it. Honestly, I’ve had so many tough games for I don’t know how long that I feel like it’s going to be very, very difficult to prepare for all the games I’m going to play. Go through these moments. »
Tennis connoisseurs will no doubt want to put Williams’ victory into perspective by recalling that Kontaveit, despite his world ranking, is not playing great tennis these days. The Estonian did not cross the 2e round of a Grand Slam tournament this year and has only reached the quarter-finals in one of the four hard court tournaments she has taken part in this summer.
But we can’t say that she played badly against Williams.
“I think she played really well,” Kontaveit said of the winner at a press conference. “I think I didn’t play a bad game at all. Yes, she really raised her level in the third set. »
She played amazing.
Anett Kontavbeit
Williams seemed to agree.
“The experience was really good,” she said. I think you can only have this experience once in your life, that’s for sure. Like I said on the pitch [à Mary Joe Fernández], I’m training very well, but I can’t translate it all into the matches. But, you know, now it’s falling into place, I guess. I had to set everything up today. It worked. »
And the “evolution” of Serena Williams will have to wait. On Friday, she has a date with Australian Ajla Tomljanovic, 46e racket in the world.