By Rik Spekenbrink
No tennis stadium in the world produces as much noise as the Arthur Ashe in New York. It’s in the build and acoustics, and especially the rowdy American fans. But the decibel record will undoubtedly be broken next week when Serena Williams takes the track. Additional tension: every time can be the last. Although the American superstar in her own ‘farewell letter‘ in the sheet vogue cryptic about the exact moment of her retirement, everyone assumes that the US Open, which starts Monday, will be her last tournament. A logical setting, Williams won six times and is immensely popular. Precisely by not naming it that way, the hype is only greater.
,,I really hope Serena will enjoy it,” said John McEnroe, four-time US Open champion and tournament analyst for Eurosport and Discovery+ in the coming weeks. But she will also be tense. She has lost three of her four matches this year and the last thing she wants is to lose in the first round. Everything has been aimed at focusing one more time on the Open. Those will be evening games of course, the fans will yell at her, that will not be normal. It should feed her.”