BRISBANE, Australia — After the extraordinary September afternoon on which she put an end to Serena Williams’s Grand Slam bid in the United States Open semifinals, Roberta Vinci has had to redefine what passes for normal in her life.
In an interview this week at the Brisbane International, where she begins her 2016 season, Vinci initially played down the events of recent months before being betrayed by a colossal smile.
“It was normal,” she said. “Well, not normal for me, but normal for the result that I had.”
Vinci lost the United States Open final to her childhood friend and fellow Italian Flavia Pennetta, but her ensuing months still have been filled with galas and photo shoots in her home country.