admin
IT is almost the end of an era.
Serena Williams, the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, one of the greatest tennis players of all time and a sporting icon, is set to retire.
It is difficult to imagine tennis without the American legend, who has won all there is to win during her 27-year career.
From a purely sporting point of view, Williams will be remembered as one of the game’s greatest competitors, an athlete who possessed the purest serve in the women’s game and a never-fading desire to win.
She will also be remembered for speaking out against racism, pushing for gender parity and equal prize money, and about her experiences of the healthcare system as a black woman.
World number 11 Coco Gauff, 18, said Williams was “the reason why I play tennis” and her legacy can “inspire many more generations”, while British number one Emma Raducanu, 19, said she “changed the game”.
“Tennis being a predominantly white sport it definitely helped a lot,” said Gauff. “Because I saw somebody who looked like me dominating the game. It made me believe that I could dominate too.”
Aged just 17, Williams produced a fine run to lift her first Grand Slam singles title in New York. She beat world number four Monica Seles in the quarter-finals, then second-ranked Lindsey Davenport before meeting world number one Martina Hingis in the final.
Addressing racism − Indian Wells 2001
Both Williams sisters have spoken about the racism they experienced throughout their career in a traditionally white sport and the issues their father, Richard, faced.
The sisters were set to meet in the semi-finals of Indian Wells – one of the biggest events outside of the Grand Slams – in 2001.
However, when Venus withdrew with injury, accusations of match-fixing were pointed towards Richard and the sisters.
Serena was then heavily booed when she came out to play Kim Clijsters in the final, and both Richard and Venus said they were racially abused by the crowd.
Serena won and instantly hugged her father in the stands. She and Venus then boycotted the event for many years, with Serena not returning until 2015 and Venus a year later.
Completing the ‘Serena Slam’ – Australian Open 2003
Williams arrived in Melbourne on the back of an amazing Grand Slam streak, having won every major since the 2002 French Open.
Only the Australian Open trophy was absent from her cabinet.
She had to do it the hard way in Melbourne, saving two match points and overturning a 5-1 third set deficit against Kim Clijsters in the semi-finals to reach the final.
She then beat Venus for her fourth consecutive major singles triumph.
It also secured a career Grand Slam and a non-calendar year Grand Slam for Williams at just 22 years old.
Double triumph at SW19 – Wimbledon 2012 & London Olympics
Williams’ triumphs on the Wimbledon grass were the start of a resurgent few years that saw her win another nine major singles titles.
She followed up her Wimbledon title run with a dominant performance to claim Olympic singles gold.
Williams thrashed Maria Sharapova 6-0 6-1 in just 62 minutes on the same court where Sharapova had so memorably beaten her in 2004.
It was the heaviest defeat for Sharapova against Williams, with the American winning 22 of their 24 meetings over 15 years.
Another ‘Serena Slam’ before US Open heartbreak – 2015
Williams started and ended the 2015 season as world number one, winning the Australian Open, Roland Garros and Wimbledon to go with her 2014 US Open title and secure yet another ‘Serena Slam’.
She was on course for the calendar Grand Slam in New York and faced Italy’s Roberta Vinci in the semi-finals, who she had beat four times in a row.
She won the first set and led 2-0 in the decider before the unseeded Italian came back to stun Williams and the crowd.
Williams later described the loss as one that broke her heart. − BBCsports.
Online Reporter