Serena Williams has started her last dance on the court. As the American tennis legend is playing her last grand slam tournament at the US Open, another legend of the sport, Chris Evert, heaped praise on her amazing journey on the WTA tour. She recently talked about the undying passion of Serena as the main reason for her two-decade-long dominance of the women’s circuit.

Along with that, both the Williams sisters embraced their culture and tradition, which eventually became an inspiration for millions.

Chris Evert on Serena Williams’ resilience and passion

Evert knows all about pushing herself to outperform her opponents consistently, as she herself has won 18 major titles. So, she can relate to Serena‘s passion and zeal for the sport. The 23-time Grand Slam champ won her first major title at the US Open in 1999 as a 17-year-old. Evert, in an interview with TIME magazine, said, “It really was a different mentality of tennis. Go for everything.” She added, “When you’re under pressure, you’re more aggressive.” 

Venus and Serena Williams had to face a lot of criticism on trivial issues about their looks and gameplay. They both wore beads in their hair, embracing their identity with pride. This was unusual, as it went against the prominent notion of ‘fitting in’. Tera Hunter, a professor of African American studies at Princeton University, said, “The tennis world was not accustomed to seeing Black girls show up adorned in styles reflecting their African American cultural heritage, as opposed to wearing styles that blended in.”

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Consequently, this irked a lot of the audience in the past. However, the Williams sisters kept their focus and let their racquets do the talking.

Williams starts her last on-court journey at the US Open 2022

The 6-time US Open champion decided to end her career at the event where she first won a major title. She defeated Danka Kovinic in the first round of the US Open on Monday, 6-3 6-3. The capacity audience at the Arthur Ashe Stadium went berserk, cheering for the former world no.1, as she rallied past the valiant effort of the Montenegrin player.

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She has had a good start to the tournament, however, in the second round she will face a tough challenge in the current world no.2, Anett Kontaveit. However, her fans will hope that she will face the challenge like she always has, with resilience and power.