Nobody but Serena Williams herself truly knows what it’s like to carry the burden, her indefatigable pursuit of the single most important number in the sport—24—an encumbrance unlike any other.
Sure, Pete Sampras experienced some of that pressure when he was chasing Roy Emerson and his 12 majors in the ‘90s, a number he finally and fittingly eclipsed at dusk on the lawns of the All England Club in 2000. Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, of course, are experiencing a record-book brawl in real time—a triangular tension, albeit a privileged one, that they’ve lived with day in, day out, for years.
But Williams’ chase is far more nuanced; it comes with a whole other complicated set of circumstances. Since she and older sister Venus first turned heads in braces on the public courts of Compton, Calif., since she became the first Williams sister to win a Slam singles title, the 1999 US Open, she’s been busy disrupting a once one-dimensional arena, challenging the establishment, all along redefining what it means to be a powerful Black female athlete. Now a wife, a mom, a businesswoman and pushing 40, there’s even more for her to carry.
Did all those expectations, from us, from herself, take a toll in her last four major finals, all of which ended in defeat, two of them here in Flushing Meadows?
"As Billie Jean King said, ‘Pressure is a privilege.’ So I wouldn’t want it any other way." — Serena Williams
There are those, 16-year-old protégée Coco Gauff and rising American Frances Tiafoe included, who will tell you Williams is already the GOAT, that she won tennis’ own Game of Thrones when she surpassed Steffi Graf’s Open era mark of 22 in 2017.
“I consider her the greatest tennis player of all time right now,” said Gauff. “I mean, regardless, I’ll look at her that way whether she gets 24 or not.”
“Everything she does, she’s been such an icon for so long,” said Tiafoe. “She’s a living legend.”
But if you’ve spent any time around Williams, you know she won’t be satisfied until it’s official, until ‘SERENA WILLIAMS’ tops the list. It’s not about Margaret Court, maybe not even about the money or the fame. What drives her is something that most of us, who peaked as Pony League MVPs and travel-soccer trophy winners, will never comprehend. It’s something deep inside, a chip-on-the-shoulder birthright, an essentially selfish mission that consumes an athlete of her caliber.
Sloane Stephens, who was dismissed by Williams in the third round, says she can’t begin to relate to all that her countrywoman is going through.
“I think only she can tell you that,” said the 2017 US Open titlist. “I honestly am not in that position, nor anywhere close to that, so I could not tell you what that burden is. We all hope she gets to it. If she is feeling pressure, I hope she releases it and gets to 24.”
She won’t get granular, not publically anyway, but Williams does hint that her two-decades-long quest hasn’t always been an easy one.
“Sometimes it’s harder than others. Every day, having 'Serena' on your back is a massive target for the tour, for press, for stress,” she told USOpen.org. “But as Billie Jean King said, ‘Pressure is a privilege.’ So I wouldn’t want it any other way. I just try to think about how fortunate I am to have been in this position and, honestly, to be Serena. It feels weird to say that.”
Williams is through to the Round of 16 here for the 20th time. Is another final, which would be her third straight, in the works? Six of Williams’ 23 majors have come in New York, a number equaled in the Open era only by Chris Evert. Three of those came in succession during a dominant run between 2012 and 2014. USOpen.org looks back at Serena’s six US Open titles:
1999: Williams def. Martina Hingis, 6-3, 7-6
Everyone assumed Venus would be the first Williams to win a Grand Slam trophy. But li’l sis Serena beats her to the punch in ’99, a Puma cat on her chest and beads in her hair. Facing five-time Slam champ Martina Hingis, Williams officially introduces herself to the tennis world, dispatching the Swiss Miss in straight sets and backing her father Richard’s claims that it was she who had the most on-court skills in the family. Just 17 and the first Black woman to claim the title since Althea Gibson in 1958, Williams gets yet another thrill after raising the trophy in Arthur Ashe Stadium. “I thought for sure my day couldn't get any better,” she says. “Next thing I knew, someone was telling me, ‘The President of the United States wants to talk.’ I was thinking, ‘Wow!’”
2002: Williams def. Venus Williams, 6-4, 6-3
Serena avenges her loss to Venus in the groundbreaking 2001 final, the first to be broadcast in primetime (to 22.7 million viewers), with a straight-sets decision. It marks her first major title as the world No. 1. “I'm just happy to win here again. It’s been a long time since 1999. Almost nearly forgot how it felt,” says Serena, who pushes the fashion envelope by sporting a skin-tight catsuit. “But the difference is I’m a bit more mature, and I’m more relaxed. I’m a better player, obviously. I just have more fun with what I do. I’m not as stressed out there as I used to be.” She’s well on her way to the Serena Slam.
2008: Williams def. Jelena Jankovic, 6-4, 7-5
Ending a dry spell of sorts, Williams returns to the winner’s circle in Flushing Meadows, nine years after her first US Open title and six years after her second. She edges Venus in the quarters, 7-6, 7-6, and Jankovic in the final, 6-4, 7-5, to claim the title without dropping a set. “It wasn’t good enough, especially playing Serena,” asserts Jankovic, appearing in her first Grand Slam final. “You know that you have to be at the top of your level because she's a lot more powerful than many of the players. She has all the strength. She’s a great athlete.”
2012: Williams def. Victoria Azarenka, 6-2, 2-6, 7-5
Dropping just 19 games through the first six rounds, Serena shows she is still the one to beat. Her first real test comes against Belarusian baseliner Vika in the title match. Williams reels off the last four games of the match to seal the first three-set women’s final since 1995. “She's definitely the toughest player, mentally, there is,” says Azarenka. “Being so close, it hurts deeply to know you don't have it. You're close, you didn't get it. But I have no regrets. I felt like I gave it all.”
2013: Williams def. Victoria Azarenka, 7-5, 6-7, 6-1
It a rematch of the ’12 final, 32-year-old Serena prevails in yet another three-setter, becoming the oldest player in the Open era to take the women’s crown. It’s her fifth title in New York, though, as we would soon learn, she was anything but done. “I feel great. I’ve never felt better. I feel really fit. I haven't felt like this in a number of years. I'm excited about the possibilities.”
2014: Williams def. Caroline Wozniacki, 6-3, 6-3
It’s a matchup between good buddies, pals Caro and Serena. But Williams is all business between the lines. The only one of the top eight seeds to reach the quarterfinals, Williams goes on to dismiss the Dane for her third consecutive US Open title in Queens. It’s her sixth triumph in New York, tying her with Chris Evert, and her 18th major title overall, putting her side by side with Evert and Martina Navratilova. “It means a lot to me,” says Williams. “I could never have imagined that I would be mentioned with Chris Evert or with Martina Navratilova because I was just a kid with a dream and a racquet. Living in Compton, this never happened before.”
