Serena Williams is not ready to say goodbye just yet.
In her first match at what is expected to be the last US Open — and last tournament — of her remarkable playing career, Williams overcame a shaky start to overwhelm Danka Kovinic 6-3 6-3 on Monday night in a packed Arthur Ashe Stadium with an atmosphere more akin to a festival than a farewell.
Looking ahead to a future without tennis competition, Williams told the crowd: "There's other chapters in life."
Early, Williams was not at her best against the 27-year-old world No.80 from Montengero. Maybe it was the significance of the moment. There were double-faults, other missed strokes, missed opportunities.
She went up 2-0, but then quickly trailed 3-2. Then, suddenly, Williams, less than a month from turning 41, looked a lot more like someone with six championships at Flushing Meadows and 23 grand slam titles in all — numbers never exceeded by anyone in the professional era of tennis, which began in 1968.
She rolled through the end of that opening set, capping it with a service winner she reacted to with clenched fists and her trademark cry of "Come on!" The more than 23,000 in the stands (thousands of others watched on a video screen outside) rose for a raucous standing ovation — and did so again when the one-hour 40-minute contest was over, celebrating as if another trophy had been earned.
Instead, there is plenty more work to be done. Williams will play in the second round of singles against No.2 seed Anett Kontveit on Wednesday (Thursday AEST) after the Estonian beat Jaqueline Adina Cristian of Romania 6-3 6-0.
And there's also doubles to come, too. Williams and her sister, Venus, are entered together in that competition, with their initial match slated for Wednesday or Thursday.
"Just keep supporting me," Williams said, "as long as I'm here."
After Kovinic was introduced simply by name, making clear to even her what an afterthought she was on this muggy evening, Williams's entrance was preceded by a tribute video narrated by performer Queen Latifah, who called the American the "Queen of Queens."
The arena announcer called Williams "the greatest of all time," and intoned: "This US Open marks the final chapter of her storied tennis history."
Her daughter, Olympia, who turns 5 on Thursday, wore white beads in her hair while sitting with her father and grandmother in the stands, a nod to her mother's hairstyle when she won her first US Open in 1999 at age 17.
"It is so difficult to really capture what Serena and Venus have done for the sport of tennis," Stacey Allaster, the tournament director of the American grand slam event, said.
"They have transformed our sport. They've made us more inclusive. And they've transcended sports."
