With sparkles in her hair and glimmering flashes of what was — quite perfectly — as much cocktail dress as tennis outfit, Serena Williams was serving for the set but down at deuce.
The US Open crowd was amped but nervous. Serena was a 23-time major champion. Her opponent, Danka Kovinic, was a 27-year-old who had never been past the third round in a major. Back in the day, this would have taken about 53 minutes.
Serena is 40 now, though, mother to a 4-year-old daughter. She’s been injured. She barely plays anymore. She is set to retire.