Opinion: Serena Williams sees a lot of herself in rising star Bianca Andreescu

By now, Serena Williams has seen many generations of tennis players chasing her come and go. Some of them have flashed and faded, others were anointed as rivals before they achieved anything and never unequivocally did, creation it all a some-more a marvel how prolonged Williams’ star energy has endured. 

You can suppose Williams has during times resented that, a hunt for a subsequent biggest thing in tennis even as she remained a stream biggest thing for so many years. 

But maybe for a initial time in her career, in a daughter of Romanian immigrants who wasn’t innate a initial time Williams won a U.S. Open, she can demeanour onto a other side of a net and see utterly a bit of herself. 

Bianca Andreescu, a 19-year-old Canadian firebrand who won a title on Saturday by violence Williams 6-3, 7-5, is only that good. And nobody can conclude that some-more than Williams, who was some-more than friendly in a moments after Andreescu strike a blast forehand leader on compare point. In fact, she hardly even seemed upset. 

“If anyone (else) could win this contest outward of Venus, I’m happy it’s Bianca,” Williams pronounced during a prize presentation. 

And that’s genuine, too. Though they haven’t famous any other good for unequivocally long, Williams clearly has a lot of love for Andreescu given of what happened when they played in a finals in Toronto only a month ago. Trailing 3-1, Williams had to retire from a compare with behind spasms and went to her chair in tears. Andreescu, on training she’d won a tournament, went directly over to Williams, grabbed her palm and consoled her, job her a “(expletive) beast” and lifting her spirits in a joyless impulse for a biggest women’s actor of all-time. 

Think about that for a second. For someone like Andreescu, who’s 19 and a relations nobody in tennis, it took some genuine gumption to insert herself into that impulse and forget a aura and proceed Williams radically as an equal. And Williams famous that, too: A immature lady not only with a diversion to be a best actor in a universe though also a participation and certainty to be a superstar.  

“She unequivocally knows how to brew adult a diversion and play opposite shots in opposite ways,” Williams pronounced after Thursday’s semifinals. “And above all we only like her as a person. She’s amazing.”

What Williams understands about Andreescu is that she’s a singular actor only like herself who has everything. Many of a prodigies who’ve come and left are generally one-dimensional — they’re pristine energy or pristine defense. Or they don’t like a spotlight and their diversion retreats when it eventually comes to them. You can win a Grand Slam or dual that way, though they get figured out. 

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What’s considerable about Andreescu as a actor isn’t singular to chosen energy she generates on her forehand. It’s her tactical clarity that has fueled a series of three-set wins, it’s a ability to change a convene with an array of slices and dump shots, and it’s a approach she stalks around a justice as if she believes each indicate and each diversion should go to her.

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Much like Serena in her prime, Andreescu positively loves a large theatre given she has a participation to browbeat it. And those who have been profitable courtesy to women’s tennis have seen it all year. 

Aside from Andreescu’s flashy youth career, she was mostly an different apportion during a commencement of this year, starting in Jan during No. 107 in a rankings. But her winning this U.S. Open isn’t unequivocally a warn when we cruise she’s 24-0 in finished matches given March, won dual of a biggest non-Grand Slam tournaments during Indian Wells and Toronto and was 7-0 opposite top-10 players going into a US Open final. You can’t do that as a 19-year-old unless you’re an comprehensive star. 

Though for many people, a story entrance out of Saturday will be Williams losing a fourth true Grand Slam final given giving birth to her daughter Olympia, still stranded on No. 23 and one bashful of Margaret Court’s record. 

But it’s also a approach tennis is ostensible to be: A destiny good carrying to go by an all-time fable to concrete their standing as a champion. Surely Williams is unhappy that she couldn’t win this US Open, in that she played so good for 6 matches until a final. But if anyone can conclude how good Andreescu was Saturday — and where she’s going in this diversion for a subsequent decade — it’s her. 

Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Dan Wolken on Twitter @DanWolken

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