US Open: Serena Williams’ last hurrah at home grand slam headlines fascinating two weeks of tennis
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Watch the historic first Grand Slam final between Williams and Murray at the U.S. Open final.
NEW YORK — With a new generation of Grand Slam champions dominating the tennis ladder one year after Williams retired, it was fitting that Serena Williams would play her last Grand Slam at the U.S. Open final, the culmination of the sport’s most prestigious championship, on Sunday, Jan. 12.
Williams is the greatest player of all time, and she’s played at least one Grand Slam final in every year since she was 14-years-old. She has three Grand Slam singles titles, one Grand Slam doubles title, three Grand Slam mixed doubles titles and won four Grand Slam men’s doubles tournament titles. She has also won the women’s doubles title on five occasions, which is arguably the most prestigious women’s doubles tournament of the year.
“It’s been an incredible year,” Williams told reporters after the final. “The last three times it didn’t go by fast. It’s been a surreal feeling. And that’s what made it so much fun to play, to be able to watch and get a feeling for it.”
Williams will be the first to admit that she’s had her down times, but those have always been brief, and most of them occurred in the middle of major tournaments. As Williams points out, she played in the U.S. Open final in 2011, a five-set thriller against Kim Clijsters that ended with Williams saving a match point in the final set. She won against Novak Djokovic in the final of the Australian Open this year. She won again in 2012 and 2013, defeating Andy Murray in the final in 2012 and beating the world No. 1 herself in 2013.
Williams, who has won 26 major singles titles, will finish her career with a career-best 34 Grand Slam singles titles, which puts her in a tie for third-most among all women in history. While that is impressive for Williams alone, she also is one of several players to have played in 22 finals at Grand Slam tournaments, which also is a record for any woman. Williams has also now won four times at the U.S. Open, dating back to 2002.