Serena Williams’s Magical Last Week in Tennis

When Serena won match point, she ran in place, overjoyed and relieved. Kovinic slipped out of sight. Serena was directed to stay. A post-match celebration had been planned, win or lose, without her knowledge.

Olympia came to the court, in the arms of her father, Alexis Ohanian. There was Oracene Price, the mother of Venus and Serena, and Isha, one of their sisters.

Billie Jean King, a spry 78, told of meeting Venus and Serena at a camp in Long Beach, Calif., when they were 7 and 6. She remembered fawning over Serena’s service motion that day.

“Her serve is by far the most beautiful serve in the history of our sport,” King said.

There was a video narrated by Oprah Winfrey. Then Serena took the microphone, moved by the moment.

“Sometimes I think it’s harder to walk away than not,” she said.

Serena Had a Secret

On Wednesday, the day before Olympia’s fifth birthday, she was in the players’ lounge on her father’s lap.

“Tickle me, tickle me, tickle me!” she begged, and when he did, she squealed. She wore a sweatshirt from her mother’s collection that read “GOAT.” Nearby, Oracene wore one, too.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/04/sports/tennis/serena-williams-last-us-open.html