US Open: Serena Williams is marching towards immortality

Serena Williams’ quest to complete a historic calendar grand slam at the US Open goes well beyond achieving tennis immortality. Sure, a fifth straight major would essentially mean it is hard to retort the growing obvious; Williams is the greatest women’s tennis player of all time with due respect to Steffi Graf, Martina Navratilova, et al. But winning in New York means so much more. Achieving an arduous feat that hasn’t been conquered since Graf in 1988 would ascend Williams into a stratosphere reserved for select iconic sports demigods. Williams has long dominated tennis, but now she is truly transcending the women’s game. Maybe Lionel Messi is doing something unfathomably similar in football, although he does have a noteworthy adversary in Cristiano Ronaldo. Usain Bolt is probably the closest doppelganger to Williams, though athletics no longer has the cache it used to have and boasts fewer must-see events compared to tennis. Marvelling at Bolt’s superhuman performances are more intermittent. [caption id=“attachment_2414812” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Serena Williams. AP[/caption] Williams no longer has legitimate challenger. Once, there was her sister Venus, Justine Henin and Martina Hingis; these days Williams’ biggest obstacle is combating the swirl of expectation in her determined bid to conquer the deeds of the legends from yesteryear. As sports fans, we revere elite sportsmen and sportswomen. They perform athletic deeds amid the cauldron of pressure and expectation we can only dream of. Williams’ past 12 months – she has incredibly only lost twice this year – has continually raised the bar of what we believed was possible in sports. She’s recalibrating prolonged greatness. She’s routinely eviscerating players 10 to 15 years younger than her in a sport traditionally cruel to those over 30. Williams is nearly 34, a geriatric age for tennis players (bar Roger Federer, who is another ageless wonder) and yet she somehow still remains the most athletic player on the tour. She’s warded off the ravages of age and blossomed into a more complete player. Throughout the 2000s, Williams seemed to believe her immense physical strengths – which spearheaded her incomparable baseline game – was simply enough. Her renowned physicality did indeed make her the most feared player on tour, but Williams struggled to totally fulfil her capabilities apart from her peak of 2002-03 when she achieved the ‘Serena Slam’ by holding the four majors concurrently. One always felt Williams left a little on the table. It was as if Williams never truly cared about her legacy; she was content being remembered as a great but didn’t crave to be the greatest ever. Tennis was merely just one part of her celebrity lifestyle. Perhaps hiring Patrick Mourtaglou as coach has been the catalyst for her newfound desire, or maybe she realised what could be materialised if she properly harnessed her considerable gifts but everything has clicked into place during these past magical 12 months. Her game has never been stronger; she has the best serve, most devastating firepower and moves around the court better than anyone else. She’s never been fitter and physically sharper. Williams is in a great space mentally; she simply doesn’t believe she’ll lose at any point. Amazingly, she plays better when in a deep hole. Adversity brings out the best in her game. Tellingly, she has opponents under her hypnotic spell; Williams’ aura has burgeoned so tellingly that opponents never feel comfortable even when they are on the cusp of victory. Despite her record-breaking achievements, Williams has long been a polarising figure. Tennis, a sport dominated by a conservative white power base, didn’t quite seem ready for the brash and outlandish Williams sisters when they broke onto the professional scene in the late 1990s. Despite being a trailblazer for her African-American race and helping the sport appeal to a wider audience through her pizzazz, it is felt Williams hasn’t been beloved like the past champions she is compared to. Maybe the ugly spectre of racism clouds some of the judgement. Perhaps some lamented the power she exhibits, which has forever altered women’s tennis and terminally banished smaller craftier players in the Hingis mould. Maybe some histrionics have affected her perception, amid a sport that demands humbleness and grace in its champions. Williams has long been the antithesis of tennis’ quaint image of elegance and humility. Perhaps her emergence, far removed from the stereotypical tennis prodigy upbringing, and then utter domination alarmed some of the traditionalists. Anecdotally perhaps, it feels there has been a notable shift of sentiment on Williams this year. There appears finally, perhaps belatedly, an acceptance – even an embracement - of Williams and her inimitable style. Maybe it’s more to do with the fact that Williams is producing the type of greatness rarely seen in sports. Her domination is something to behold and appreciate before it’s too late. Williams in her absolute pomp is becoming immortal; the stuff of legend, and having watched her is becoming something to reminisce about to your grandchildren. One day, perhaps sooner than we may think, Williams will walk away from the sport. She’ll leave an enormous chasm; much like when Sir Donald Bradman left cricket or Michael Jordan retired (the second time) from the NBA. Women’s tennis, hopefully fleetingly, will become less entertaining and feel slightly diminished in spectacle without Williams. But that’s all to play out. Right now, the US Open is set to be the Serena Show. Whatever happens, win or lose, Williams will be the major narrative. More than ever, it presents an opportunity to savour one of the most iconic athletes we’ve ever seen.