'To even give herself a chance, Serena Williams had to find something even greater than all the talent and determination that won her 23 Grand Slams,' writes USA TODAY's Dan Wolken.
But after months, maybe years of knowing that time was running out, Williams finally felt what that was like on a tennis court Friday against a much younger player with just as much power and the guts to handle everything the New York crowd could throw at her. To even give herself a chance, Williams had to find something even greater than all the talent and determination that won her 23 Grand Slams.
“In my career I’ve never given up, and in matches I don’t give up,” Williams said. “And I definitely wasn’t giving up tonight.” “I always did love Australia,” she said, smirking as she referred to the next major, in January. “But you know what? I think I’ve come a long way since last year at Wimbledon, just not sure if that was my last moment or not and making it a different moment is much better. It takes a lot of work to get here. Clearly I'm still capable, but it takes a lot more like that. I'm ready to be a mom and explore a different version of Serena.
Tennis matches can take a million paths, and there was a very clear moment when this one took a route that both bolstered Williams’ legend and likely crushed her chances of playing in the U.S. Open’s second week.
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