![]() Maybe it’s because the final, fleeting chapter of Williams’ tennis life – as the US Open effectively became the Serena Williams Invitational over the course of five days that boasted record attendances and US television ratings – has been so fulfilling. She will continue to define success on her own terms as she has for nearly three decades in the unsparing public eye as a working-class black woman from Compton who rewrote the record books of a sport predominantly owned, played and watched by affluent white people. With a marriage to a supportive partner who shares her values, a daughter who just turned five and a venture capital firm that has raised more than $100m, there will be no crisis over her sense of purpose. ![]() Williams knows this shouldn’t be so hard for her. But these extended farewells almost always end in a messy defeat: as a last act, Friday night’s epic in front of a roaring crowd on Arthur Ashe was about as good as it gets. There was even a hint from Williams that she could return for the Australian Open. ![]() Letting go is the hardest part and understandably so when you’ve been the best in the world at what you do. Tom Brady is only the latest example of a great champion finding it hard to close the book on the glory days. This particular type of equivocation hardly makes Williams unique among elite athletes – or, more narrowly, the elite of the elite.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |