Serena Williams will be aiming for as big as it gets in tennis—major singles crown No. 24—at the US Open. And she's taking every precaution to ensure that success in this year's "bubble" situation can happen.
"I didn't want to be in the [US Open player] hotel because I have lung issues and felt it was a big risk for me personally," Williams said. "In a house, I can control more, there's no housekeeping [staff], none of that stuff. I needed to put my mind at rest so that I could perform in New York."
While just four of the Top 10 stars in the WTA's ranks will compete at this unconventional US Open, the fact remains that the champion must defeat the seven players put before them.
Williams finds herself weathering with wary aplomb, if that's possible, any forthcoming criticism about the tournament's results and its final outcome.
“It still has to be tennis that’s played, asterisks or not,” she said. "I think this whole year deserves an asterisk, because it’s such a special year, history we have never been through in this world, to be honest, not this generation, not this lifetime."
First things first, though. From playing before no fans in Lexington, Ky., to doing the same in Cincinnati-in-Queens and at the US Open proper, she's getting match play. Seeded No. 3 in “Cincy,” she opened against qualifier Arantxa Rus on Monday and won in dramatic fashion, 7-6 (6), 3-6, 7-6 (0).
