In one final round at the US Open, Serena Williams fell to Ajla Tomljanović in the third round on Friday night. Sports Illustrated John Werthem and Chris Almeida discuss the exciting match and what it will reveal about elite players as they near the end of their careers.
John Werthem: We all know what the end of the ultimate anecdotal story was. And it wasn’t, but Friday night’s battle with three sets of high-quality tennis and avoiding match points… that would have been a 1B scenario. It wasn’t Serena winning the championship, but it was a great way to go.
Chris Almeida: We’ve had a lot of really long matches, a lot of long pools, and a lot of unlikely winners. In the third set, you can tell that Serena was a bit gassy. she She could tell she was a bit gassy. And so I began to fall back, and Many From those shots she succeeded and penetrated the field and won points. That was really fun to watch. Obviously, the crowd loved her.
This was really fun. And that was partly because of the points approach, and partly because of the exercises that both players went through. Serena was up 5-3 in the first set! And I went 4-0 to start second! And so we know Tomljanovic had a reputation for getting a little tight at the big moments. But she didn’t do it at all today. This made the match more compelling.
JW: Oh, all credit to her. She is 29 years old – so this is not a teenage girl. She is known for being a beautiful and talented player and someone who really struggled to close matches. So, for her to get into that situation and lose the second set and then find that level of tennis and even in that final when she loses, that would have meant the whole place would have gone into absolute chaos… yeah, that’s a win in her professional life. This is a career-changing night for her.
CA: I do not know what to say! It was just very convincing. It was surprising to watch. The level was really good. Tomljanovic lasted four rounds in both first sets and Serena rebounded from leaving the second set lead to win in a tiebreak, and even in the third set where Serena only won one game, that only match was her break. In the first game of the group. At that point, I really thought she might make it to the finish line. I mean, we said this after every game, but it’s still worth mentioning: Oh my God, when Tomljanovic won a point, you could hear a pin fall there.
JW: But you couldn’t hear the pin sound when you messed up.
CA: Unfortunately.
JW: However, one of my quick points is my genuine sympathy for individual sports athletes. It must be hard to know when to retire. I was at Wimbledon for the Harmony Tan match. And it was… I mean, now we can say: It was borderline awkward. Nothing like Serena Williams.
CA: It was hard to watch.
JW: Yes, it was hard to watch. And that result didn’t really improve over the summer. But then she came out here and beat the No. 2 player in the world. And without much prep work, she’s playing an extraordinary match against someone 10 years younger than her who is a top 40 player. I wonder… No wonder she left the door open. Did you understand that? In a post-match interview, they kind of asked: Is that him? And she didn’t say emphatically yes. This was my last match. And I totally sympathize if she can bring that level of tennis to life without a lot of tempo or match play… I don’t know… but really you can see the kind of pain this decision must cause for athletes, especially in sports like tennis.
CA: Especially in tennis at the moment, we’re in a somewhat unusual place. Roger Federer, Serena, and even someone like Andy Murray… they are all nearing the end of their careers and yet they feel suspended because they love it. These tennis greats are here because they want to be. With boxers… you often feel like the greats are holding on for too long. With Olympic athletes, like Michael Phelps, you’ll hear them talk about how much they hated their sport but didn’t know any other way to live.
With tennis players growing up now, you get the feeling that they want to play tennis for as long as possible and can’t even chase records necessarily, but because they love to do so. Well, if you can play matches like this, why not take a pilot for a main match sometime down the road?
JW: This was really high quality tennis. On one hand, you’re roasting her career and on the other hand, you kind of see how this whole thing has proven that she knows herself better than anyone else. And for everyone who was speculating about her chances of winning matches or winning the tournament… it was clear that she came to this tournament to win it. This was her coming on a triumphant tour. you weren’t saying This is my last season as a designated hitter and I am thrilled to receive a gift in every National League park.
And now there is an event to be played! As we speak, the #1 ranked male player and defending champion walks onto the field. It’s ten in the evening. The Williams Show, totally right, but nonetheless completely obscured everything else going on. Now we’re going back to the tennis tournament.
CA: Today, somehow, I spoke to Serena who might be able to win the championship. But that was partly because the lottery is now So Wide open. So now it’s anyone’s game
But the main idea I’ve seen all of this is just thinking that it might be a long time until we see the atmosphere of a prize fight in a tennis match like this…or maybe we’ll see it next year with Roger.
JW: I don’t know! Let’s see what happens here. If Serena retires for the year, and plays 18-year-old Coco Gauff in the final, we’ll make it poetic. We’ll see all the obvious symbolism and parallel stories if Coco reaches the final. If that happens, as expected, we may repeat Joe’s last two nights.
More Serena Williams coverage:
[ad_2]