Serena Williams will send emotional farewell to tennis at US Open

• Serena Williams plays Danka Kovinic of Montenegro in what could be her final match at the US Open.
• Williams said earlier this month that she was going to retire.
• The 40-year-old will wear a sparkling outfit for Monday’s match against Kovinic.

Serena Williams was going to be the main attraction at the start of the US Open on Monday. The 23-time Grand Slam winner was getting ready to say an emotional goodbye to tennis.

Williams said earlier this month that she was going to retire, and now she is playing Danka Kovinic of Montenegro at Arthur Ashe Stadium in what could be her last Grand Slam singles match.

In 1999, when she was only 17, the 40-year-old tennis player and cultural icon won her first Grand Slam title at the same site.

Monday’s sold-out night session starts at 7:00 pm (2300 GMT), and Williams will be back in one of her favorite arenas wearing a typical flashy outfit.

The New York Times says that Williams will wear a black dress with a sparkling bodice and a skirt with six layers, one for each US Open title she has won.

It remains to be seen if Williams can keep going in the US Open after this match.

In her last match, earlier this month at the Cincinnati Masters, Williams was beaten by Britain’s Emma Raducanu, 6-4, 6-0. Raducanu, who had lost to Kovinic at the Australian Open in January, was beaten by Kovinic herself.

Williams won’t leave the US Open stage right away, win or lose on Monday.

On Saturday, organizers confirmed that she and her older sister Venus Williams had been given a wild card into the women’s doubles tournament, which starts on Wednesday.

Even so, it’s still not clear if Williams will end her career for good when the US Open is over.

Williams wouldn’t say for sure in an interview with NBC’s Today show on Friday that she would retire in New York, and she wouldn’t even say for sure that she wouldn’t play tennis past 2023.

When asked if she would quit, she told NBC, “I think so, but who knows?”

When asked if she might play in the Australian Open next year, she said: “I don’t think so”, but added: “You never know. I’ve learned in my career, never say never.”

On the first day of the tournament, Williams was likely to get the most attention. However, the men’s draw starts with defending champion Daniil Medvedev of Russia taking on Stefan Koslov of the United States.

Novak Djokovic’s dream of a calendar-year Grand Slam was crushed by Medvedev in the final of last year’s US Open. However, Medvedev did not play at Wimbledon because the tournament does not allow Russian players.

Andy Murray of Britain is another veteran who is nearing the end of his career. Ten years after winning his first Grand Slam at the US Open, Murray starts his campaign against Argentina’s 24th seed Francisco Cerundolo.

Rafael Nadal of Spain starts his campaign on Tuesday against Rinky Hijikata of Australia. He wants to win his fifth US Open title and 23rd Grand Slam title overall.

Djokovic’s absence has made it easier for Nadal to win the title. Djokovic is still banned from entering the United States because he refused to get a Covid-19 vaccine.

Now that Djokovic is out of the picture, Nadal’s biggest opponent over the next two weeks might be his own body, which is prone to getting hurt.

Four times in his career, the Spaniard has had to skip the US Open, and now there are doubts about whether he can make it through the tough two weeks at Flushing Meadows.

Nadal has only played once since he had to pull out of his Wimbledon semi-final with Nick Kyrgios because of an abdominal injury. He lost his first match to Borna Coric in Cincinnati.

Nadal said on Friday that he had been careful with his injury in Cincinnati, but that he had been able to practice hard before the US Open.

“I take it very easy in the Cincinnati, too, in the practices. The match, I try my best without putting all the effort there on the serve,” Nadal said.

“I hope to be ready for the action. That’s the only thing that I can say.”

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