The Most Memorable Serena Williams Match— at Least for Me.
As Serena Williams gets ready to compete at her last US Open, multiple articles, stories, and reflections have already appeared about her legacy and impact on tennis and the world. And while I have watched many, many of her matches over the years, and had the privilege of covering her as part of the tennis press, one match of hers in particular I always remembered, long before I ever became a tennis writer.
The year was 2007. At the time, I was living in Los Angeles trying unsuccessfully to become a screenwriter. It was January, which meant it was also time for the Australian Open down in Melbourne, Australia, one of the four Majors or Grand Slam tournaments. Having kept up with the coverage down under, mostly online (I’ll explain more in a minute), the women’s singles final was set between Serena Williams and then Number 1 seeded Maria Sharapova. And I had to see that match.
Yet, I didn’t have Cable TV. Let me explain.
Tennis coverage, in this time, was before social media became a huge thing and streaming video was still in its infancy, and not very good, especially for live events. Cable TV, in this case ESPN, in the United States, was the only way to watch the Australian Open (AO) matches. At the time, I didn’t have Cable TV for various reasons, mostly costs, but had to figure out a way to watch the match.
Watching tennis at a sports bar was the best option. And I had done that before. Back when I lived in New York, again without Cable TV, I would often have dinner at a bar/restaurant that would show the US Open in September.
When I moved to LA. I remember one time finding myself downtown watching the late-night US Open battle between Andre Agassi and James Blake at yet another bar.
By the way, this was also when tennis coverage was all over the dial. ESPN held the Australian Open rights and some Wimbledon rights. NBC showed the French Open (and still does today), and CBS along with the beloved but now gone USA Network covered the US Open. If a match wasn’t literally available on a standard TV with antenna (remember those?) then one needed Cable TV.
Back to the 2007 AO Final. Serena, by then had established herself as one of the all-time greats having already won seven major titles, including the “Serena Slam” in 2002 (holding all four Grand Slam titles in a 12-month span). But in 2006, Serena spent six months away from the tour dealing with a knee injury, and also, as she wrote in her autobiography, a bout of depression.
When she entered the Australian Open in 2007, she was ranked World Number 87. Many tennis purists, pundits, and “those in the know” considered her career over and that the tennis world had passed her by. But anyone who has ruled a sport, a kingdom, or a country, these rulers often have reigns within reigns, careers within a career.
And Serena’s next reign was just about to begin.
Serena battled through the opening rounds Down Under, and almost lost several times, but with grit and determination made it to the final. Sharapova entered as the favorite, having just won the US Open title the previous year.
I’m not sure how I ended up at this sports bar, don’t ask me the name, near Westwood and Santa Monica. Fortunately, they had the match on a television over the bar, as it was about to start, so I found a place near the bar and settled in. Being Friday night, many were there, of course, to get the weekend started and enjoy themselves.
Some, upon seeing the names of Serena and Sharapova flash upon the screen got excited, possibly because they knew the names, and perhaps were not even tennis fans. By then Serena, her sister Venus Williams, and Sharapova were all household names.
Venus and Serena Williams, with their compelling story of growing up in Compton, California, to then ruling the women’s tennis tour in a few short years, already sounded like a Hollywood movie, long before it became one years later with the release of “King Richard.”
Sharapova, at age 17, burst into public consciousness and then upon billboards everywhere promoting high-end luxury goods when she upset Serena in the 2004 Wimbledon final. At this point in their careers, Serena led the head to head 3–2, and so on paper, it seemed like this would be the beginning of a huge rivalry. That, of course, never happened, though both women would face each other multiple times during their careers.
While a “Serena vs. Sharapova” contest on this night sounded like it would become a tough and very close battle, what unfolded from there was nothing of the sort.
As Martina Navratilova described it later, “It was the beatdown of the century.”
Serena took control and command of the match from the very beginning and never looked back. With powerful hitting and laser-like focus, Serena didn’t allow Sharapova even a hint that she would have a chance to win the match. Sharapova struggled to win points, though she managed to win a handful of games.
While the crowd at Rod Laver arena likely sat in stunned awe at the match below them, the crowd gathered at the sports bar elicited another emotion — admiration.
After Serena closed out the first set, I knew the match was essentially over. Serena was not going to allow Sharapova back in. The sports bar crowd watching could have very likely focused their attention elsewhere, asking the bartender to change the channel, or perhaps drift off to another location.
Yet, they stayed riveted to the screen as Serena continued her march to the title, winning point after point, the match itself going by in a blur (as I’m sure that’s how it felt to Sharapova).
And the crowd loved it.
Rather than rooting for Sharapova to make a match of it, they cheered Serena’s inexorable advance when she hit yet another winner out of her opponent’s reach. They reveled in Serena’s dominance, in her victory lap of tennis excellence.
When Serena won the final point that secured the title, she fell down on the court in celebration. And those in the bar also let out a raucous cheer that reverberated throughout the space. They shared in Serena’s triumph, her comeback, and her greatness.
“It was an awesome win, because I had so many critics. So many people…saying negative things,” Williams said after the win. “Saying I wasn’t fit, when I felt that I was really fit, and I could last three sets. It’s always like, tell me no and I’ll show you that I can do it. I get the greatest satisfaction just holding up the Grand Slam trophy and proving everyone wrong.”
As I’ve said, I’ve seen many, many Serena matches over the years, in person, and from the television, computer, and now even our phones. But it was that moment watching Serena perform at her very best, along with a group of people, who may have first watched with casual interest, but then soon also celebrated, as one, the remarkable tenacity and resilience of one the greatest athletes of all time.