Serena Williams isn’t ready to say goodbye just yet. Neither, clearly, are her fans. And he heard them, loud and clear. In her first match at what is expected to be the final US Open — and final tournament — of her remarkable career, even if she insists she won’t say it at all, Williams overcame a shaky start to defeat Danka Kovinic 6- 3. , 6-3 in an atmosphere that feels more like a festival than a farewell. Which memory will stick with her the most from the night? “When I left, the reception was really overwhelming. It was loud and I could feel it in my chest. It was a really good feeling,” said the owner of six US Open championships and 23 Grand Slam titles overall, numbers unsurpassed by any player in the professional era of the sport. “It’s a feeling I’ll never forget,” he added. “Yeah, that meant a lot to me.” That opening outing against Kovinic, a 27-year-old from Montenegro ranked 80th, became an event with a capital “E”. Spike Lee participated in the pre-fight coin toss. Former President Bill Clinton was in the stands. So are Mike Tyson and Martina Navratilova, sitting next to each other. And with dad and grandma was Williams’ daughter Olympia, who turns 5 on Thursday, wearing white beads in her hair like mom did when she won the US Open for the first time at age 17 in 1999. Williams is now 40 and told the world three weeks ago via an essay for Vogue that she was ready to focus on having a second child and her venture capital firm. Asked after her win on Monday if this would be her final tournament for good, Williams replied with a knowing smile: “Yeah, I was pretty vague about that, right?” He then added: “I’m going to stay vague, because you never know.” The night session drew 29,000 people, a tournament high — more than 23,000 were at Ashe. thousands more watched on a video screen outside the arena — and the place was as loud as ever. Certainly louder than any other first round match in memory. Both players called the decibel level “crazy.” Kovinich said she couldn’t hear the ball coming off the strings of Williams’ racket — not even her own. Early on, Williams wasn’t at her best. Perhaps it was the importance of the moment. There were double faults. More missed strokes, missed opportunities. He went up 2-0, but then quickly went down 3-2. Then, suddenly, Williams looked more like the champion she’s been for decades and less like the player who came into this match with a 1-3 record since returning to action in late June after nearly a year off the tour. “At this point, honestly, everything is a bonus for me, I feel like,” Williams said. “It’s good that I was able to get it under my belt. … I don’t even think about it. I only think about this moment. I think it’s good for me to live in the moment now.” She rolled to the end of that opening set, closing it out with a service winner that she responded to with clenched fists and her trademark shout of “Come on!” This was met with thunderous cheers and applause – as was the end of the 1 hour 40 minute contest, as if another trophy had been won. Instead, there is much more work to be done. Williams will play No. 2 seed Annette Kondveit of Estonia in the second round of singles on Wednesday. And there are doubles, too: Williams and her sister, Venus, are in this competition together, with their opening match scheduled for Wednesday or Thursday. “Just keep supporting me,” Williams told viewers, “while I’m here.” They certainly will. They were there to honor her and show her appreciation for all she did on and off the court. After watching the win over Kovinic, spectators held blue, white or red placards handed out to their seats to read “We (Heart) Serena.” After Kovinich was introduced by name only, making it clear even in that afterthought he had on that dirty night, Williams’ entrance was preceded by a video tribute narrated by Queen Latifah, who called the American “Queen of Queens.” The arena announcer called Williams “the greatest of all time” and added: “This US Open marks the final chapter in her tennis history.” It means a lot to a lot of people. As a tennis player. As a woman. As an African American. As a mother. As a businessman. “When it started, female athletes didn’t get recognized. He’s done so much,” said Quintella Thorn, a 68-year-old from Columbus, Georgia, making her eighth trip to the US Open. “And now, it’s…” “He’s evolving,” said Thorn’s friend Cora Monroe, 72, of Shreveport, Louisiana, using the word Williams says he prefers to “retire.” That’s why Monday had more significance than the usual Day 1 at a major tournament. And why the daily program made no mention of any of the dozens of athletes in action, instead showing a six-image montage of Williams holding her six US Open trophies above the headline: “Serena Williams, A Legacy of Greatness.” And why there was a sense of less importance for matches that included victories for other elite players, such as former US Open champion Bianca Andreescu, Andy Murray and Daniil Medvedev, or French Open finalist Coco Gauff, an 18-year-old American. After her 6-2, 6-3 victory over Leolia Jeanjean earlier in the day, Gauff was looking forward to sitting on Ashe herself to watch Williams, someone she credits with inspiring her to play tennis. Gauff’s original plan was to tune into television, but then she decided it was too important to miss. “Everyone will be on her side. I’m going to cheer her on,” Gauff said. “It will probably be one of the most electric matches that will ever happen in tennis.” It lived up to the pricing. Now more is coming for Williams and her supporters.
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