Serena Williams, through 27 years in professional tennis, has faced several generations of stars who jockeyed for position at the top of the sport. The strength of her claim to be considered the greatest player of all time is rooted not only in her longevity — and 23 Grand Slam singles titles — but in […] More
Serena Williams did not invent a tennis shot, although she certainly came close to perfecting one with her serve.She was not, in the absolute sense, a pioneer for elite Black tennis players. Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe were the first Black players to face down the barriers to entry and succeed at the highest level, followed by champions like Zina Garrison and Yannick Noah.But there is no doubt, with Williams about to play in her farewell U.S. Open just ahead of turning 41, that she changed the game she long dominated; the game she has learned, over time, to treasure.Her legacy, which is in many respects shared with her older sister and soulmate Venus Williams, is evident in the powerful, aggressive style that has become the norm, if not quite the rule, on tour. See the full-cut, all-action, rip-the-return approach of No. 1 Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina, the new Wimbledon champion.“One of the greatest impacts Serena had is she definitely took the game to a different level,” said Mary Joe Fernandez, the ESPN analyst and former WTA star whose playing career overlapped with those of the Williamses. “Serena changed it in different ways, whether physically, mentally or movement-wise. It just got better, and it got better because of Serena and also Venus.”The legacy is also there in the presence of talented young Black women’s stars like Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka and in the increasing number of Black junior players, who, along with their families, have used the Williams sisters as a template. Another indicator: 10 of the top 30 Americans in this week’s WTA singles rankings are Black or biracial (and none of those 10 is a Williams sister at this stage).Williams, right, talks to Naomi Osaka after their women’s singles semifinal at the 2021 Australian Open.William West/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images“I think everything started with Venus and Serena,” said Martin Blackman, general manager of player development at the United States Tennis Association. “There’s no doubt about the power and the impact of that demonstration effect. I think it was even more powerful because they grew up in Compton, and no matter where you live, you know that Compton is a tough place to grow up. And what their parents Richard and Oracene did to get them what they needed to become champions is just an unbelievable American success story.”That story, as Blackman points out, has resonated not just with African-American families. It has much broader reach.“It could be Latino, Asian or Caucasian — it doesn’t matter. It transcends all races,” said Nick Saviano, a veteran American coach who owns an academy in Florida and has worked with leading pro players like Sloane Stephens, Amanda Anisimova, Eugenie Bouchard and Gauff.“I see the Williamses’s impact every day,” Saviano said. “If I go to a 10-and-under tournament I see it. I see more people from different ethnic backgrounds. I see people daring to dream big.”In pure tennis terms, when it comes to the actual playing of the game, the Williams sisters have been more about evolution than revolution, more about the often-irresistible quality of the overall package than groundbreaking innovation. And though Serena has undoubtedly been the greatest player of this era, Venus, with a similar tool kit, did come first and is inextricably part of the step change.“I like to look at them individually and at their individual accomplishments, but it’s hard to separate them because they helped each other be great,” said Corey Gauff, father and coach of Coco Gauff.Venus and Serena Williams playing doubles at the U.S. Open in 2009.Raymond McCrea Jones/The New York TimesThe great women’s players who preceded the sisters had plenty of strengths. Chris Evert was a paragon of cool and consistency. Martina Navratilova set new standards for fitness and attacking prowess, relishing life at the net. Steffi Graf had speed and explosive power off her unconventional, often-airborne forehand, and her crisply chipped backhand was devilish in a different way: skidding low and proving difficult to attack.Monica Seles, with deft double-handed groundstrokes, was a relentless ball-striker and in-the-moment competitor who hugged the baseline and could hit winners off the short bounce with her forehand or her backhand. The relatively underpowered Martina Hingis played tennis akin to chess or geometry by changing paces, angles and trajectories.But Venus and then, very quickly, Serena posed an unprecedented, multipronged threat. They were big servers and big hitters who could also sprint into the corners, players who could produce winners with any stroke and make their side of the court look frightfully small to the opposition.“It was just like another dimension of physicality, power and mental toughness,” Fernandez said. “I think those are the three things that stood out: how hard and how consistently they were able to hit the ball and how well they were able to cover the court and then the grit. I mean, to beat Serena you had to knock her out a few times.”Serena Williams became known for her powerful serve.Alana Holmberg for The New York TimesFernandez, a three-time Grand Slam singles finalist once ranked as high as No. 4, said the Williamses’s emergence contributed to her decision to retire in 2000.“I caught Serena and Venus at the end of my career, but they’re one of the reasons I was like, ‘OK, the game has evolved now, and I can’t keep up’,” she said “It was such a struggle to be able to withstand it. I couldn’t match it, so I just knew this was now a different level, a different stage in the sport. Game-wise, I think they both improved as years went by, both became better players and became students of the game, but it was just that dominant power, court coverage and intensity.”Justine Henin, the Belgian star with the gorgeous one-handed backhand who was one of Serena’s early and fiercest rivals, said that the intimidation was real.“We can talk all we want about her tennis qualities, but one of her strengths was to show that she was convinced that she was going to walk right over you even though normally she should have been full of doubts like all players,” Henin said of Serena in a recent interview with the French publication L’Équipe. “That generated all kinds of fears for her opponents. I was afraid for a long time.”Swiatek, Gauff and the new wave of women’s players seem less inclined to intimidate their opponents, though anyone who has experienced Aryna Sabalenka roar as she generates startlingly easy power can detect a sonic and attitudinal link with Serena.The Williams sisters popularized the open-stance backhand and the swing or drive volley, though they were not the progenitors.Serena Williams plays a backhand at the 2019 Australian Open.Asanka Brendon Ratnayake for The New York Times“People say Serena was not a great volleyer, and no, she wouldn’t be categorized as having a great forehand or backhand volley,” Saviano said. “Because most of the time she was finishing points with swinging volleys, and she was brilliant at it.”The sisters also re-emphasized the importance of early preparation on the backhand.“Super early,” Saviano said. “They basically just pulled the racket back almost immediately and waited for the ball. Technically, that was a bit unusual.”They followed Seles’s lead by attacking second serves relentlessly, even when the errors sometimes piled up.The next generation clearly took note, and it is a tribute to both sisters and part of their heritage that their power is no longer a cut above. Their successors have adapted, as Emma Raducanu, last year’s surprise U.S. Open champion from Britain, made clear when she beat Serena, 6-4, 6-0, in the first round of the Western and Southern Open this month. Raducanu counterpunched coolly and effectively when Serena upped the volume and velocity.Though there were true power servers in the pre-Williams years like Brenda Schultz-McCarthy of the Netherlands, Serena raised the bar with her smooth and potent serve. More women on tour are capable of regularly approaching 110 miles per hour and beyond with their first serves, players like Rybakina, Osaka, Sabalenka, Gauff, Karolina Pliskova and Maria Sakkari.“I really think Serena let people know if you’re strong and tall and want to be successful in tennis, you can serve this big,” said Rennae Stubbs, the ESPN analyst and former world No. 1 doubles player from Australia who has also coached stars like Pliskova.A fan holds a sign in support of Serena Williams during the match between Williams and Emma Raducanu of Great Britain during the Western & Southern Open in August.Dylan Buell/Getty ImagesStubbs is providing Serena with on-court advice this week during practice as part of the coaching team. “I’m just helping; I’m advising,” she said. “We’ve been great friends for a long time, and I’m just helping her as much as I can to finish this career the way it deserves to be finished.”Stubbs added: “Whatever happens, she has proved herself to be truly one of the great athletes of all time, and we’re going to miss her passion. That’s the word I think that epitomizes Serena so well is just passion for the game of tennis and sports and passion for excellence. That’s what separates the great ones.”She continued: “And when they felt the excellence was not there anymore, they could walk away. And I think that’s where Serena is at right now.”Though Serena has announced that the end is near, she still is not prepared to state plainly that the U.S. Open is her last tournament, even as she prepares to face Danka Kovinic, an unseeded Montenegrin, in the first round on Monday night.“I don’t know, I think so, but who knows?” she said on Thursday during a public appearance hosted by a Manhattan hotel.The Australian Open, the next Grand Slam tournament on the calendar, starts in January. Could she be there?“I don’t think so,” she said. “You never know. I’ve learned in my career: Never say never.”Serena Williams practices at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Thursday.Hiroko Masuike/The New York TimesThere is a message in her resistance to goodbye, as well. She has played far longer than even she expected or her father, Richard, predicted. In doing so, in coming back from childbirth at age 36 to play several more seasons, she has reminded the younger generation to follow their own timelines, much as Navratilova did before her and as her 41-year-old contemporary Roger Federer has done in the game that he also is clearly loath to leave.“I think one of the best things Serena has given to this sport is her longevity and still wanting to be great,” Stubbs said.That is part of her legacy, too. More
Even seasoned watchers of the U.S. Open, which starts on Monday, may be surprised to know that there is no limit on how many times a tennis player may toss the ball when initiating their serve. Yet, players swing at nearly every toss they make, the good and the mediocre, even though it is such […] More
Long before Williams won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, she was turning heads. Countless memories fade, but not, it seems, when Williams was involved.From the time she was a young girl until this month, when she announced the approaching end of her tennis career on the cover of the September issue of Vogue, Serena Williams has always made a strong impression.Ask people around tennis about their first encounter with Williams or their first glimpse of her, and almost invariably they respond with a memory so crisp and detailed that the moment might as well have happened last week.Billie Jean King, the tennis icon and founder of the WTA, said in her 2021 autobiography “All In” that she first met a 6-year-old Williams and her 7-year-old sister, Venus, in April 1988 at a tennis clinic in Long Beach, Calif.“Their mother, Oracene, told me that day that she and her husband, Richard, taught the girls to play and they all came to the clinic from their home in Compton to pick up some pointers,” King said. “I remember thinking, ‘Wow,’ these girls have the ability to be the very best.”Former and current tennis players and others who knew a young Serena Williams shared with The New York Times their first impression of her before she became a worldwide star by winning 23 Grand Slam singles championships.The interviews have been edited for clarity and length.Alexandra StevensonFormer professional tennis player, ESPN U.S. Open analyst and Williams’s friend for more than 30 yearsIt was Morley Field in San Diego. My mom was a reporter covering a girl who was supposed to be a phenom at 10 years old. That was Venus Williams. I liked her name. I was 9. I wasn’t playing tournaments yet. This was a local San Diego tournament, and Venus was in the finals. It was easy to spot her father, Richard, and the family. They were the only Black people in a mostly white and Asian environment, standing off to the side.The younger girls were playing a hand game. They looked fun to me. I had been going to jump-rope school, and I had two ropes with me. I was hoping to find kids for double Dutch while my mom worked. Venus and Serena were with their older sisters Isha and Lyndrea.“Can you jump?” I asked Venus, the taller one with braids sticking out all over her head. The beads, I guess, would come later.“I can jump,” she said.Venus decided that Lyndrea and Isha would turn the ropes. Venus said, “She jumps first,” and pushed Serena into the ropes.I laughed and jumped in with Serena. We jumped and jumped. No one missed.That’s how it always was for us. We were always together giggling, telling stories.Pam ShriverFormer Grand Slam doubles championI was at one of Nancy Reagan’s “Just Say No to Drugs” events at the Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles. Serena and Venus were 9 and 10 and playing in the charity event. Serena was little then, but then they came to Baltimore to play my charity event and played against the Ripken brothers.Venus, left, and Serena Williams, second from right, with President Ronald Reagan and his wife, Nancy, in 1990.AllsportWhen they came to Baltimore, I invited Venus and Richard and Serena to stay and help me prepare for my next tournament. Serena was a little young, but I remember her power at maybe 12 years old, and that has been the heart of her career. She had that live, powerful arm, and the first time I saw that serve, I could tell she had the smoothest, most efficient and powerful service motion ever.Rick MacciTennis coach who brought the Williams family to FloridaIt was in 1991 when I went to Compton, Calif. Richard called me. He knew I had worked with Jennifer Capriati. He told me I wanted to come to Compton to see his girls. He said, “I promise you won’t get shot.”We went to a park, and there were people playing basketball and people passed out on the grass when we got out of the van.Everyone said: “Hey, Venus. Hey, Meek,” because that is what they called Serena. Richard pulled out this old cart of old balls and said he liked using old dead balls because he wanted the girls running and digging them out of the ground.The first hour was a train wreck, and I didn’t see anything, but you don’t judge a book by its cover. We started playing competitive points. Me and Venus against Serena. Once we started that, the footwork got a lot better. There was a rage inside these two little kids once we kept score. They ran so fast they almost fell down. I said, “You’ve got the next female Michael Jordan,” referring to Venus, because she was older and better then. Richard said, “I got the next two.”Mary CarilloTennis commentator and 1977 French Open mixed doubles championMy first true memories of Serena’s greatness are from 1999, when she played dizzyingly good hardcourt tennis at Indian Wells, then Miami. The beads. Those beads were so damn cool. She looked locked in and fearless, beating Steffi Graf in the Indian Wells final and Martina Hingis in Miami. Then, she faced Venus in the Miami final. Venus got that one.It was an awkward, uncomfortable thing for them to play one another and for me to call, but by the end of that summer, at the U.S. Open, sweet Jesus. I’m not sure there could have been a tougher draw than the one she got through. Oh, and did I mention the beads?Williams announced the approaching end of her tennis career on the cover of the September issue of Vogue.Mike Nelson/Agence France-Presse-Getty ImagesMartin BlackmanFormer professional tennis player and the general manager of player development for the United States Tennis AssociationIt was a match against Irina Spirlea at the U.S. Open in 1998.The skill, the poise, the power and willingness to finish forward with swinging volleys or regular volleys at the net. And, of course, her serve. My impression was: “She’s going to be great!”Kevin Garnett15-time N.B.A. All-Star, Olympic gold medalist and tennis fanI first met her in 1995. I was on Oprah Winfrey’s show with Venus, a show about athletes with potential. I don’t think Serena was actually on the show, but I met her backstage and we spoke.Then when she started playing, I just remember my sisters and my cousins didn’t care at all about tennis, and then as soon as we all saw Serena, suddenly all they wanted to do was play.For me, still, every time I think of her, it’s her walking onto the court for the first time in that catsuit, the black Puma catsuit.John McEnroeSeven-time Grand Slam singles champion and tennis commentatorIt wasn’t totally accurately portrayed in the movie “King Richard.”I first met her when she was 8 years old, when she was brought to the court I was practicing on and then being told by my then-coach, Paul Cohen, and Richard Williams that her and Venus were going to be the two best players in the world. It was like, call me in 10 years, we’ll see what’s happening.I didn’t walk away in disgust, or refuse to see Serena. That’s all I’m saying. I was there. Saw them. Why would I walk away after being told that I’m going to see two kids, 8 and 9, that are going to be future No. 1s? Like, I refuse to see these kids? For what? Because I’m a hothead? But that’s not correct.Chris Evert18-time Grand Slam singles championShe played in my first celebrity tournament. I had a celebrity event that was the fight against drug abuse and prevention of drug abuse. And she and Venus were living down here in Florida.From left: Chris Evert, Serena Williams, Tracy Austin and Venus Williams at the 1992 Chris Evert Pro Celebrity Tennis Classic.Art Seitz/Gamma-Rapho via Getty ImagesThe first thing that strikes anybody is the power, the power in their games. The athleticism, the relaxed athleticism that they have and the way they move. Twelve and 13 years old, and they weren’t afraid to go to the net and volley. They had such an advanced game for that age. It was a different kind of a game than any juniors that I had ever seen. And they were very happy. Very happy. They were enjoying the attention, and they were enjoying going out there and playing tennis.Daniil MedvedevWorld No. 1 men’s tennis playerI’ve actually never hit with her, but I remember watching her on television as a kid. This was back when Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were winning everything, and she was just like them. It seemed like she was absolutely crushing everyone she played.I know she lost matches. Everyone can lose matches, but I remember with Serena you had to watch from the beginning if you wanted to see her because it always seemed like it was 6-2, 6-2 and over in 45 minutes.
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The 23-time Grand Slam champion could be playing her final professional tennis match on Monday at 7 p.m. at Arthur Ashe Stadium.Those who want to see Serena Williams play before she retires from tennis have one guaranteed shot at doing so.Williams is set to play Danka Kovinic in the first round of the tournament on Monday, and if Williams loses, it could be the last time she plays tennis professionally.Williams will play in Arthur Ashe Stadium at 7 p.m. on Monday. Fans may see her in person at Arthur Ashe Stadium, at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, or at home on television.On Saturday morning Williams was one of the first players on the practice court for an early hitting session.Here’s what you need to know ahead of Monday’s marquee match:How did we get here?When a hamstring injury forced Williams to retire in the first round of Wimbledon last year, many began to wonder whether the 23-time Grand Slam champion would return to the game she has dominated for the better part of more than two decades.In mid-June, Williams gave her fans a vague glimmer of hope that she would return to the game, when she posted a picture on Instagram of her shoes on grass.“SW at SW19,” Williams said in the caption, referring to the postal code of the All England Club, where Wimbledon is played. “It’s a date. 2022 See you there.”Without playing in any tuneup matches, Williams made it to Wimbledon, only to lose in the first round. Then after winning a first-round match in the National Bank Open in Toronto in early August, Williams appeared on the cover of Vogue magazine, and in an article she shared that she planned to step away from tennis after the U.S. Open.In the first-person essay, Williams said that she was “evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important,” adding that she planned to focus on her venture capital firm and grow her family, meaning a sibling for her daughter, Olympia, 4.Since then, she has lost in the second round in Toronto and in the first around at the Western & Southern Open in Mason, Ohio.Want to see Williams live?You’ll need a ticket for a night session on Monday in Arthur Ashe Stadium. As of Friday afternoon, the cheapest seats available on resale for Monday night in Arthur Ashe were about $253. That’s in the nosebleeds.Those who want a better view of Williams will need to pay substantially more. Resale tickets in the 100s level of Arthur Ashe were selling for at least $850 as of Friday. Tickets in the lowest level of the stadium were selling for nearly $4,000.Do you just want a taste of the action?Consider buying a night session ticket for Louis Armstrong Stadium and watching the Williams match on a big screen set up in front of Arthur Ashe. The Armstrong tickets won’t get you into Arthur Ashe, but you’ll be free to roam around the grounds of the U.S. Open among like-minded tennis fans, who also want to soak up the atmosphere.Armstrong tickets on Friday were selling for about $110. There will be other night matches at Louis Armstrong on Monday, but not Williams against Kovinic.Rather just watch at home?Tune into ESPN on Monday to watch the match from the comfort of your home. (If you’re in Canada, tune into TSN.)If that’s not quite enough, consider making your own Honey Deuce, the official cocktail of the U.S. Open, and you’ll feel like you’re at the tournament. (Find the recipe here.)Who is Williams playing?Williams will take on Kovinic, a 27-year-old from Montenegro, who is ranked No. 80 in the world. The two have never played each other.Kovinic has had a decent year, reaching the third round of the Australian Open and the French Open. At the Australian Open, Kovinic defeated Emma Raducanu, the reigning U.S. Open champion, in three sets.At U.S. Open media day on Friday, Raducanu was asked about her match against Kovinic, and Raducanu said that it was a match she won’t forget.“I don’t know how it ended up so close,” Raducanu said. “She was really, really solid, was staying with you, counterpunching. Then after you drop one after a long rally, then she would attack. She’s happy to run, happy to rally.”What happens if Williams wins in the first round?If Williams wins, those who missed a chance to see her on Monday will get another chance in the second round of the tournament, which starts on Wednesday for women’s singles. Williams would likely play another night match in Arthur Ashe Stadium.In the second round, she would face the winner of Anett Kontaveit and Jaqueline Cristian. Kontaveit, the No. 2 in the world, is favored to win her match and would be a difficult opponent for Williams.How far can Williams go in the U.S. Open?Pam Shriver, an ESPN commentator, said it will largely depend on her health. Complicating that will be the number of adept players in the women’s draw, Shriver said.“It’s hard for me right now to see her making a run into the second week,” Shriver said. “But it’s still fun to dream, and so until a dream is no longer possible, I’m choosing to still have it as a dream. It would be like the greatest sports story ever.”Who else plays on Monday night?When the Williams and Kovinic match is over, there’s still more tennis scheduled. After that match, Arthur Ashe will host the first round men’s singles match between Australians Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis.The match will be special for them because they’ve played doubles matches together over the years. Plus, any time Kyrgios is on court, fans can count on seeing one of his classic between-the-legs shots. More
A new era of data analysis has given players deeper insights into their opponents’ games and a strategic advantage.For the data analysts working with the top tier of American tennis players, the busiest time of year begins with United States Open qualifying. They will spend 15-hour days creating and curating a trove of quantitative data and video clips.They will churn out match statistics and about 200 scouting reports for nearly 70 players over the three-week competition. The ultimate goal: provide players and coaches with more granular insights into each point and, in the process, give them a strategic advantage.“Players will always get their match tagged, broken up into how a point starts and how a point ends, and back to them within 24 hours,” said Geoffrey Russell, who works for the United States Tennis Association as senior manager for Team U.S.A.’s professional players. “We’ll also do bespoke projects for coaches who ask us to break down certain things even further.”During this year’s Open, Russell will collaborate with a team of eight data analysts. Their efforts speak to growing interest and investment in tennis analytics, and represent one of many ways the sport is employing the in-depth data analysis long used by professional teams in baseball and basketball.In tennis, it’s been more a data evolution than revolution, a gradual search for new, objective performance measures. That’s largely resulted in a combination of statistics and video highlights that build a more sophisticated picture of how individual players compete and, as a result, guide some match strategy and development.Tennis lags behind other sports in analytics, but it has gained significant momentum over the last several years. Better technology means more opportunities to capture and analyze more data points efficiently.National governing bodies like the United States Tennis Association collect shot-level data. New metrics in the tennis lexicon include steals (when players fall behind in a point yet manage to win it) and balance of power (how much time players spend on attack versus how much time opponents spend there). And there’s more attention paid to how points develop.The strategy coach Craig O’Shannessy said that from 1991 to 2012 tennis analytics “was very primitive.” Then, in 2015, rally length appeared in tournament data. Analysis of that data revealed much shorter rally lengths than expected, driving curiosity and greater respect for analytics.Andy Murray and his coach, Ivan Lendl, during a practice in June. Toby Melville/Reuters“There has been a gradual acceptance of new data points in our sport that matter most to winning and losing matches,” he said. “So, we’re definitely going down a road where we’re improving.”Still, even with new metrics and keen interest in analytics from top players like Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, tennis has not fully embraced analytics, especially since the data requires time-consuming analysis and sometimes calls into question conventional thinking about how to compete and train.“The challenge at the moment is that coaches are looking at the numbers, but not always looking at them in the right way,” said Warren Pretorius, founder of Tennis Analytics, which provides players and coaches with match analytics. “They’re taking bits and pieces of match stats to support their theories.”So which new data points provide the most meaningful insights? It depends on the player. That speaks to another big tennis analytics challenge: What translates to more wins varies widely based on a player’s strengths, weaknesses and tendencies under pressure.“What we try to do is help athletes gain clarity about what their identity is,” said David Ramos, the U.S.T.A.’s director of coaching education and performance analytics. “How do they want to be playing in the most important points? How do they define a good performance if they don’t win a match? It’s definitely about the game style and personalizing the K.P.I. [key performance indicators] for a particular player.”To provide new insights and help process all the information, there are data-oriented companies eager to service players, coaches, broadcasters and fans. The U.S.T.A. works with companies like TennisViz, SwingVision, Hawk-Eye, Dartfish, Kinexon and IBM to generate meaningful data.The player Mackenzie McDonald of the United States calls himself a “big numbers guy” and finds the scouting reports provided by the U.S.T.A. helpful. At a recent U.S. Open tuneup tournament, he used data about his opponent’s preferred placement for first and second serves to his advantage. He also looks at the hot and cold plays metric (patterns that increase or decrease players’ chances of winning points).“You have to build a story for your opponent,” said McDonald, 27, who is ranked No. 77 in the world and will be playing in the Open. “It’s not x’s and o’s. It’s more like this is what can happen. This is what this guy likes. And these are the tools you can use.”Some top players add strategy coaches to their team for data analysis. O’Shannessy worked with Djokovic’s team from 2017-19, helping the former No. 1 player in the world understand his game better through analytics.O’Shannessy said that sometimes Djokovic asked simple questions, like whether he should hit a backhand or move around for a forehand when the ball landed in a specific spot. O’Shannessy then presented data for winners and forcing errors that came from the right side of the court versus the left side.“He was so good at absorbing all of this information and not rejecting it,” said O’Shannessy, who is also director of Brain Game Tennis, a strategy and analytics website. “His openness and willingness to just ask questions, anything to find an advantage, was key. His talking about it in the tennis world gave it a lot of legitimacy.”When the U.S. Open starts, McDonald will review the scouting reports provided by the U.S.T.A.“I think you’ve got to keep things as simple as possible,” he said. “You’ve got to keep some human element and instinct. Bottom line for me is I only look at a couple different areas.”Mat Cloer, who coached McDonald and is associate head coach for the University of Florida men’s tennis team, added: “It comes back to understanding the player you’re working with and how they absorb information. What information do you need to provide? That’s where the art of coaching comes into play.“If used properly, analytics can be game changing and eye opening.” More
A wowed Arthur Ashe invited a reporter to watch the Williams sisters. “Wait until you see them play,” he said. They were 10 and 11.Serena Williams announced this month that she will retire sometime after the United States Open. But 30 years ago, the player now considered one of the greatest ever to grace the sport, was merely one half of a promising duo.In April 1992, Arthur Ashe, the three-time major champion and a longtime friend and colleague, invited me to Philadelphia. He wanted to show me something.Arthur and I had worked together for HBO at Wimbledon for several years, and I had interviewed him many times for the magazine, World Tennis.As soon as I arrived at the Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis Center for an exhibition and fund-raising dinner, Arthur took me aside and said, “There are two little Black girls here and wait until you see them play. They’re sisters, their names are Venus and Serena Williams, and they’re from Compton, California. Oh, and they’re only 11 and 10 years old.”That would be the first time I saw the Williams sisters play. Their story had already brought a bit of attention as the girls were top-ranked in Southern California junior tennis.Richard Williams at Serena Williams’ practice during the 2009 French Open.Ryan Pierse/Getty ImagesTheir accomplishments would go on to enthrall tennis fans for the next 30 years, through 23 major championships for Serena and seven for Venus. Even their prescient father, Richard, who reared them to be superstars, predicted they would quit the game in their 20s. For Serena, he was off by two decades. Venus is still playing.But on that afternoon, Arthur, eschewing his typical quiet dignity, had a huge grin on his face as he watched the sisters swat at balls fed by their father in front of dozens of fascinated spectators. They both wore crisp new Reebok outfits and had big white beads woven through the cornrow braids that cascaded down the backs of their necks.Venus had arms and legs that could move in impossible directions. When she propelled her almost six-foot frame toward the net, which she did more than any other 11-year-old I had ever seen, she looked more like a hurdler than a tennis player.Serena, then nearly a foot shorter than Venus, had neither the length nor the finesse of her sister. But boy, could she whack the ball. Sometimes it landed in the court. Serena also had a more pensive on-court presence, as if she had something to prove.I recall being impressed by their on-court bravado, but unsure whether they truly had the goods to be top professionals.When I had a chance to chat with their father, he told me that Serena was the better athlete and would, one day, be the better player. It was a refrain he would repeat many times over the years. He also told me that both girls would be ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the world. (Ten years later, they were in fact the two top-ranked players in the WTA rankings.) The girls said very little, opting instead to hide behind their dad’s imposing persona.Serena Williams with her father, Richard Williams, and sister, Venus Williams, after winning Wimbledon in 2012.Mike Egerton/PA Images, via Getty ImagesSuddenly, Richard turned to face Arthur. He wanted to assure Arthur that no matter how successful his daughters became in tennis they would never abandon their schooling. That clearly pleased Arthur.Two weeks earlier, Arthur had announced that he had AIDS. He died 10 months later at age 49 and did not live to see the sisters dominate his sport. It would be another seven years before 17-year-old Serena won her first U.S. Open. A year later, Venus captured the 2000 Wimbledon and U.S. Open titles.I have now known Serena for a little more than 30 years. I have praised her, and I have sparred with her as a reporter. I have criticized her behavior toward officials and opponents. But I have also marveled at her fierce determination and her extraordinary ability to hit a 120-mile-an-hour ace out wide when down match point.I wish, on that day in 1992, that I had been wise enough to know where Serena was headed. But on second thought, I’m glad it’s been a big surprise.Cindy Shmerler is a former managing editor of World Tennis magazine. She will be covering her 43rd consecutive U.S. Open. More
After that first title, players are pestered with the question, when’s No. 2? Often, there is no next time.Thomas Johansson isn’t exactly sure where his Australian Open award is. He knows that the miniature replica of the trophy that he received for winning the title in 2002 is in his mother’s apartment near Stockholm, likely in a corner somewhere. Johansson and his family live in Monaco.That doesn’t mean that the title, and the trophy, aren’t important. For Johansson, now 47, winning the Australian championship was the crowning achievement in a 15-year pro career that saw him reach No. 7 in the world before retiring in 2009. He had never advanced beyond the quarterfinals at a major when he beat Marat Safin, the former world No. 1 and the 2000 United States Open champion. “I’m quite humble, but also super proud that I won this title,” said Johansson by phone earlier this month. “To win a Slam you have to be strong, play extremely well for two weeks and even get a little lucky. Maybe I never won another one, but that’s OK, I’ll always have this one.”Daniil Medvedev won his first major title last year by defeating Novak Djokovic in the finals of the U.S. Open.Ben Solomon for The New York TimesFor every Serena Williams, who holds 23 majors, and Rafael Nadal, who has won 22, there are dozens of players who captured their maiden Grand Slam title and no more.When Emma Raducanu and Daniil Medvedev step on court for their opening-round matches at this year’s U.S. Open, they will both be defending their first major wins. Last year Raducanu, ranked No. 150 at the time, stunned the sport by becoming the first qualifier to win the Open.Medvedev prevented Novak Djokovic from claiming the sport’s ultimate achievement, the Grand Slam — victories at the Australian, French, Wimbledon and U.S. championships in the same calendar year — by upsetting him in the final. Raducanu and Medvedev will both be attempting to win their second major this year.Some players, like Marcelo Rios, Jelena Jankovic, Dinara Safina and Karolina Pliskova, attained the No. 1 ranking without ever having won a major. Caroline Wozniacki was No. 1 for months starting in October 2010, although she won just one major, the Australian Open in 2018.“People don’t realize how hard it is to win a Slam,” said Martina Hingis, 41, who captured three Australian championships, one Wimbledon and one U.S. Open, all before she turned 19 years old. “But it was a different time. Whoever was on a roll, having a good year, was more confident and won the Slams. I don’t think it would be possible back in the day for a player from the qualifying to win the U.S. Open.”There is probably no more dreaded moniker in tennis than One-Slam Wonder. Almost immediately after players win an important title, they are asked, “What’s next?” It happened to the former No. 1 Andy Roddick after he won the 2003 U.S. Open, even though Roddick reached four other finals, including the 2006 U.S. Open and three Wimbledons, losing all four to Roger Federer.It also happened to Dominic Thiem when he beat Alexander Zverev to win the 2020 U.S. Open and to Gabriela Sabatini when she beat Steffi Graf at the 1990 U.S. Open. Sabatini, a star on tour for most of the 1980s, won two WTA Finals, but never another major. Neither did Pat Cash, who won Wimbledon in 1987 and started the tradition of players climbing into the stands after winning the tournament. Yannick Noah once threatened to jump into the Seine because of the pressure he felt after becoming the first Frenchman in 37 years to win the French Open in 1983.“You always want to back up any big win,” said Mike Bryan who, together with his twin brother, Bob, won 16 major doubles titles. “When we won our first French Open [in 2003], we didn’t win another Slam for more than two years. At every press conference it was, ‘When are you going to do it again?’ There’s just this voice in your head that you always have, until you win the next one.”Thomas Johansson won his first, and only, major title at the 2002 Australian Open.Adam Pretty /Allsport, via Getty ImagesSome players win their first Grand Slam title at a young age and never repeat. Michael Chang was 17 years old when he stunned Ivan Lendl and Stefan Edberg to win the French Open in 1989. He never won another major. The same is true for Jelena Ostapenko, who won the 2017 French Open just after her 20th birthday. Sofia Kenin won the Australian Open at age 21 in 2020, and reached the final of the French Open later that year, but is now ranked outside the world’s top 200, in part because of an injury-laden year.Jana Novotna, on the other hand, was nearly 30 when she finally won Wimbledon in 1998, five years after her final-round collapse against Graf. Francesca Schiavone was also almost 30 when she beat Samantha Stosur (herself a lone major winner at the 2011 U.S. Open) to capture the 2010 French Open. And Flavia Pennetta was 33 when she won her only major at the 2015 U.S. Open. As she collected her trophy, Pennetta announced her retirement from the sport.“The moment you win, everything you have worked on for years and years has come true,” said Schiavone, 42, as she prepared to play the legends event at Wimbledon last month. “Your heart is full because your dream came true. You are not anymore an outsider. Now you are a major champ. But then you have to empty your heart and put a new dream in there. It’s not easy, but you have to fly again with constant work.”Mary Pierce remembers feeling overwhelmed when she won the Australian Open in 1995, the year after she lost in the French Open final to Arantxa Sánchez Vicario.“You’re on such a high, and it gives you the confidence to feel like you’re one of the best in the game,” said Pierce, who backed up her victory by winning the French Open five years later. “It’s your goal, so you want to do it again.”Pierce understands what it will be like for Raducanu and Medvedev when they return to this year’s U.S. Open.“Winning your first Grand Slam completely changes your life,” Pierce said. “It’s now commercials and photo shoots and TV shows and events that you weren’t doing before and are now taking your time and energy away from training and resting. It can also be emotionally draining, and you need that energy and that focus and concentration to compete.“Plus, now everybody’s recognizing you wherever you go, watching everything you do, and you’re not used to that, so you have to adapt. Just feeling the expectations and pressure with everyone expecting you to play well and to win every time, which is not humanly possible. We’re not machines, we’re not robots.”Backing up a major championship by winning another may be paramount to a player’s psyche. Some players need that career validation. Others don’t.“I think One-Slam Wonder is one of the stupidest words in tennis,” said Johansson, who also won a silver medal in men’s doubles from the 2008 Beijing Olympics. “Winning one Grand Slam title is incredibly hard to do, unless of course you’re a Roger, Rafa or Novak because they’re so good. I’d prefer to have won one Slam than to have been in the finals three times.” More
