Serena Williams will have to overcome unseeded Danka Kovinic in the first round as she tries to stage what appears to be the last event of her glorious tennis career.
If they can beat the Montenegrin, Williams could face Estonia’s No.2 seeded Anett Kontaveit of Estonia in the second round, a match that could end one of the sport’s most groundbreaking careers.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion, who will turn 41 on September 26, announced this month that she is preparing to retire from her playing career.
He didn’t say explicitly when he was planning to stop, but he hinted that the US Open could mark his goodbye.
Williams has won the Flushing Meadows hardcourt tournament six times.
Kovinic never made it through the second round in four US Open appearances. The 27-year-old and 80th in the WTA rankings reached # 46 at her peak, but she has never faced the great American.
Williams are just 1-3 this season, having recently returned to singles after a year’s absence following a first-round injury exit at Wimbledon in 2021.
His first return match was at the All England Club in late June, and he lost his first game there in a third-set tiebreak against Harmony Tan, 115th place.
After winning a match in a tournament in Toronto, Williams was knocked out in two sets by Tokyo Olympic champion Belinda Bencic, then lost again in two sets in Cincinnati to US Open champion Emma Raducanu. .
As Williams said she is preparing to end her tennis career, her every move will be center stage at the start of the Open. Fans will pay close attention as each match could be the last.
Although Williams spent more than 300 weeks at number 1, her lack of business contributed to a slump and this week she is at number 410.
Williams’ other possible opponents, should she progress in the tournament, include Italy’s 27th seed Martina Trevisan or Australia’s No.1 Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round.
She could meet 2021 US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez of Canada or 2021 French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic in fourth place.