‘Just Serena’: Williams’ upset win at US Open keeps the legend advancing in final days of her storied career
‘I’ve worked my whole career to get to this point,’ she told Sports Illustrated.
For the third time in her career, Serena Williams has won a Grand Slam match – this time, defeating France’s Marion Bartoli in three straight sets.
In her last US Open triumph – against Japan’s Naomi Osaka – she became the first American to win the title in any calendar year, beating China’s Li Na 6-2, 6-4.
The 22-year-old American, regarded as one of the finest talent in the world and one of the most accomplished athletes in all of sports, did not just win that match, but she made the final for the third time, the first woman to do so.
In her first and second titles at the US Open, she also became the first woman to win the tournament in four different decades.
Williams has been the US Open champion more times than any other tennis player and has now won three times, with her most recent victory in the 2014 final against top-seeded Victoria Azarenka.
She had an off-day today, playing her first match in nearly three months and didn’t put a match together in time to go a set before dropping the third.
When asked today if she had any thoughts of retiring, Williams remained silent as she went through her routine before taking to court.
“No, not really. I don’t plan on retiring,” she said. “I work too hard to retire, I think.
“I think this is a lifetime,” she said.
Williams, who is trying to hang onto her number one ranking, said she has been working on her serve and taking it much better at the US Open.
“The serve I’m working on is, you know, getting a lot better,” she said of her serve.
“That’s one thing that I like about being able to play at the US Open, just