"How lucky we were to be able to watch a young girl from Compton grow up to become one of the greatest athletes of all time." - Michelle Obama
I watched Serena Williams play tennis this last week on the televised U.S. Open, knowing (based on her own words) that it would (probably; athletes sometimes un-retire!) be her last tournament. I watched with renewed interest, admittedly not having been the biggest fan of Serena over the years. Unlike her older and less-decorated but far more genteel, and sportsmanlike sister, Venus, Serena's demeanor and attitude (with some notorious moments at previous U.S. Opens!) have always rubbed me the wrong way. I recognize that she has the greatest serve in the history of women's tennis, but her serve carried her so far that I feel like she has always won a lot of free points via intimidation alone, while sometimes the rest of her game just matched her opponents'. I celebrated when she was upset by a lower-ranked player (Pliskova, Ivanovic, Stosur, and Cornet some notable ones), even while I respected all she has meant for sports (tennis, women, and black athletes) over the last several decades since her career took off as a teenager.
That being said, I have warmed up a bit to her after she became a mother. She, forty years old and veritably middle-aged (like me!), is not only parenting (albeit with a large, supportive, and undoubtedly well-paid team), but also performing at the highest level as an elite athlete. She won the 2017 Australian Open while being ~eight weeks pregnant (in a final match against her sister)! She has had many injuries and health issues (notably surviving her second pulmonary embolism after her delivery with Olympia) and hasn't been quite the same Serena in recent years (mainly, in my opinion, not being able to close out matches and losing her mental edge) although there have still been glimmers of her athletic greatness. She came close to winning another (record 24th) Grand Slam as a mom, reaching a couple of finals, but didn't couldn’t quite get over the hump. Nevertheless, after a long break, she looked formidable in the matches she played at the U.S. Open this year, playing an incredible three-setter and upsetting the #2 seed, Anett Kontaveit, while then succumbing to Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round, soon after she lost her women’s doubles match with Venus. While it was not holding a trophy, it was certainly an admirable way to go out.
The video "tribute" narrated by Oprah played after one of her last matches made me tear up, as did Serena’s speech after her final match, in which she thanked many people, including her parents and notably her older sister whose career was always overshadowed by that of the "littler" sis (If you haven't watched the biopic "King Richard" featuring Will Smith about the teens' rise in the tennis world, please do!). Her family is and was always first and one of the reasons she cited for retiring now was to consider growing her family and giving Olympia a sibling.
Serena (no last name needed!) may be considered for many more decades the greatest tennis player (of either gender) of all time (and possibly the most dominant athlete). Her legacy in the sport of tennis and all of the young boys and girls she has inspired (including some great young players of color like Naomi Osaka, Frances Tiafoe and Coco Gauff in a historically white and elitist sport) will long outlast her competitive career. I am glad that my kids absolutely know who she is (watching great tennis does not count as screen time in this house) and that we had an opportunity to see her play in person (at Indian Wells in 2016, a tournament that she boycotted for a long time due to concerns about racism). From me, a lover of sports, athletic greatness, history, shattering glass ceilings, diversity, feminism, equality and for all this and more, #ThankYouSerena. Good-bye from the court, but may you thrive and continue to inspire generations in whatever else comes next.
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