Williams ‘one of the favourites’ to win historic 24th major at US Open

Serena Williams announces she is ‘evolving away from tennis’

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Serena Williams has been labelled ‘one of the favourites’ to win a historic 24th Grand Slam title and draw level with the all-time record at the US Open. Supported by a vocal partisan crowd, the American icon put in a sensational performance as she defeated Anett Kontaveit to clinch a place in the third round.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion will walk away from the sport after the US Open, the fourth and final major tournament of the season. Many have hailed Williams as the ‘Greatest Of All Time’ and hoped to see her perhaps match Margaret Court’s record of 24 Grand Slam titles. 

Williams has been in scintillating form at the tournament so far, and she defeated second-seed Kontaveit 7-6 (7-4) 2-6 6-2 to reach the third round. She is hoping to end her career with a dream seventh US Open title ahead of her retirement – or ‘evolution’, as she wrote in Vogue.

Eurosport expert Mats Wilander believes Williams must be considered one of the favourites to win the title as she rides an overwhelming wave of emotion and support. The 40-year-old has won the US Open on six occasions, with her last triumph coming in 2014.

“The movement is much better than I ever could’ve expected and the serve is coming back,” the seven-time major champion said. “She is a threat now.

“I am surprised that she can keep it up but we’ve seen Serena do this at Grand Slam tournaments when she hasn’t had a lot of matches. She wins a match, then two, then the tables flip completely and now she is one of the favourites.

“I think this is a sign that there is more to come, she believes there is more to come. That’s how you win 23 Slams I guess. She internalises the problem in front of her and uses the crowd. 

“She becomes Serena and she has that eye of the tiger – amazing.”

The American has been stuck on 23 Grand Slam titles since she claimed the Australian Open title in 2017. Williams has performed spectacularly in front of a sold-out attendance, and she will be back in action against unseeded Australian Ajla Tomljanovic tomorrow.

“I have not heard a crowd that loud,” Wilander continued. “I think a lot of people must be seeing Serena for the first time here.

“She is playing great. She beat the number two player in the world and that’s a ranking that means one of the most consistent players, I am stunned.”

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After he monumental win over Kontaveit, Williams claimed she no longer has ‘a big red X’ on her back for the first time since she announced herself to the sporting world in New York in 1999. In her post-match press conference, Williams said: “I feel like everything is a bonus.

“It’s that weird mixture of embracing but also staying focused. I just feel like I have had a big red X on my back since I won the US Open in ’99.

“It’s been there my entire career, because I won my first Grand Slam early in my career. But here it’s different. I feel like I’ve already won, figuratively, mentally. It’s just pretty awesome the things that I’ve done.

“I never accept that. I never think about it. So tonight I was just like, ‘Serena, you’ve already won, just play, be Serena. You’re better than this.’ That’s what I was able to do.”

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