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US Open: Serena and Venus Williams play doubles together one last time

2022-08-28T10:39:30.740Z


Tennis icon Serena Williams will end her career after the US Open. There, where she won her first Grand Slam in 1999, she competes one last time in doubles with sister Venus. Other tennis stars paid homage to her in advance.


Enlarge image

Venus Williams (left) and her sister Serena, who is one year younger

Photo: imago sportfotodienst / imago images / Claus Bergmann

Serena Williams' departure from tennis has a good chance of becoming the emotional highlight of this year's US Open.

It is now clear: The US superstar will not only compete in singles, but will also dare to play doubles for the last time alongside her older sister Venus Williams.

The duo accepted a wildcard for the tournament.

The two sisters will compete one last time where Serena won the first of a total of 23 Grand Slam titles in 1999.

The joint track record is also impressive: Serena and Venus Williams won 14 Grand Slam titles in doubles, plus three gold medals at the Olympic Games.

The big farewell to the home crowd begins for Serena Williams on Tuesday night with her opening match in the individual competition (1:00 a.m. CEST/Eurosport), her opponent is Danka Kovinić from Montenegro.

Serena Williams recently announced her retirement in fashion magazine Vogue.

But she dreads the moment when the time to say goodbye has irrevocably come.

"I'm not happy about this topic, I feel a lot of pain," said the American: "It's the most difficult thing I can imagine.

I hate it.

I hate being at a crossroads.«

Stars of the scene bow to the "phenomenon"

Even before Serena Williams left, the stars of the scene bowed to the tennis queen.

Rafael Nadal and others expressed their utmost respect for the 23-time Grand Slam tournament champion.

»As an athlete, she was not only a tennis player, but also one of the most important athletes in the history of the sport.

From a tennis point of view, it's a big loss that she's leaving.

Now she deserves to be able to choose what she wants to do.

She is a legend.

I hope she will continue to be involved in the tennis world," said 22-time Spanish Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal.

“Before Serena came along, there wasn't really a sporting icon that looked like me.

Growing up, I never thought I was different because the number 1 in the world was someone who looked like me," said US American Coco Gauff, ranked twelfth in the world.

And the fifth in the world rankings, the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas, said: »Serena had triggered something like a domino effect with her career, with her community.

She was very inspiring, also for me.

What she did on and off the tennis court elevated the game of tennis and made it so important as a sport.

She is a phenomenon.«

see/dpa

Source: spiegel

All sports articles on 2022-08-28

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