What transpired amidst the pageantry and cacophony of noise inside of Arthur Ashe Stadium on Wednesday night seemed straight out of a limited-edition issue of a comic book penned by Stan Lee. Serena Williams, already the most legendary figure in the history of the sport, put on her superhero outfit one more time, engaged in an epic struggle and, after experiencing peaks and valleys with every page turn, vanquished one of her most long-standing adversaries yet again: Father Time.
After her three-set triumph over the No. 2 player in the world, Anett Kontaveit, to extend her career for at least one more singles match, how else can Serena, 40 years young, thrill her readers any more than the adventure she took all of her followers on for two-and-a-half hours in yet another feat of derring-do?
Here’s how: team up with sister Venus Williams on the tennis court.
The ultimate “Avengers Assemble!”
For the 35th and likely final time professionally, Venus and Serena, two-time champions at the US Open, will join forces in pursuit of doubles glory at a Grand Slam. To begin their run in New York, their first-round match against the Czech pairing of Lucie Hradecka and Linda Noskova will take place inside Ashe under the lights, a rare early-round doubles match on the biggest stage the world of tennis has to offer.
The lifeblood of “greatest of all time” debates that are all the rage in sports media nowadays are the numbers behind said greatness, and when it comes to Serena, her 23 Grand Slam singles titles (and counting?) have made that number as synonymous with her as with another sporting hero, Michael Jordan. But a deeper dive into the data shows that another number, though smaller in value, may pack the biggest punch when talking about the on-court legacy of Serena and Venus: 14.
As in the 14 Grand Slams the pair have won together. As in the 14-0 record in Grand Slam championship matches, including winning the last eight of those in straight sets.
Then there’s what the Williams sisters have done when representing the Red, White and Blue, winning the gold in three Olympics games (2000, 2008, 2012) and accumulating a 15-1 record in Olympic competition—the 15 wins coming in succession.
Simply superhuman.
“I honestly hadn't thought about [our perfect record in Grand Slam finals in doubles],” Venus said after her singles match on Tuesday. “More than anything, I just want to hold my side of the court up and be a good sister.”
Superheroes can be so modest.
“They are the reason why I play doubles,” said Coco Gauff, the current No. 1 doubles player in the world who credits Venus and Serena as idols when growing up. “People forget, the greatest tennis player to play has 23 Slams but also has 14 doubles Slams, and I think two or three doubles gold medals…She has 23 slams in singles, everyone sees the number 23, 23, but they forget the 14.”
A myriad of disruptions of their time together on the court—from a commitment to singles play during a given Grand Slam, to injuries that have forced withdrawals, to life-altering health scares for both sisters, and, finally, to the birth of Serena’s child, Olympia, in 2017 — has meant that the sisters have only competed in 34 Grand Slam tournaments out of a possible 99 since (and including) their debut at the 1997 US Open, last competing together at Roland Garros in 2018. Not counting five of those tournaments that ended due to a withdrawal or retirement, the sisters have racked up a 125-15 overall record.
Or, to put it another way, Venus and Serena have just one more defeat in a completed match at a major on the doubles court (15) than they have doubles major titles (14).
In a way, Serena and Venus paired up when the former was hitting balls in anger during last night’s captivating victory; just a few games into the match, Venus entered the stadium and walked into Serena’s player’s box.
“I feel like it's been very important for [Venus] to be a part of this,” Serena said on Monday. “She's my rock. I'm super excited to play with her and just do that again. It's been a long time.”
Now they will combine their powers again one more time on Thursday, and, no matter the result, the superhero costumes will still fit. Their powers, when combined, will save the day one more time.
Watch Serena's Round 2 press conference
