You’ve taught our hearts and minds to be our authentic self, to use our voices — and dream big…Especially for women, and women of color.

Billie Jean King on Serena Williams

The absolute GOAT, Serena Williams, took to the tennis court Monday, August 29th in front of a sold-out crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium. In case you haven’t heard, this will be William’s final US Open. She walked away with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Danka Kovinic. This victory secured a spot for Williams to play at least one more match in the tournament. 

Of course Billie Jean King was there and said a few words, “You are fearless. And you hate to lose, it is great. You’ve taught our hearts and minds to be our authentic self, to use our voices — and dream big…Especially for women, and women of color. Most of all, thank you for sharing your journey with every single one of us.” 

Here is what Serena had to say about playing in her final tournament before retirement, “It’s extremely difficult still because I absolutely love being out there and the more tournaments I play the more I feel I can belong out there. That’s a tough feeling to have and to leave knowing the more you do it the more you can shine. But it’s time for me to evolve to the next thing. I think it’s important because there’s so many things that I want to do.” 

Williams will be playing Anett Kontaveit in the second round on Wednesday, August 31 at 7 pm EST. 

“At this point, honestly, everything is a bonus for me,” Williams said. “I think every opponent is very difficult. I’ve seen that over the summer. The next one is even more difficult. It’s good that I was able to get this under my belt. I’m just thinking about this moment. I think it’s good for me just to live in the moment now.” 

There’s no doubt, Williams has made a significant impact in the world of tennis, sports, and beyond with her impressive skill and determination throughout her career. There will never be anyone quite like her in the world of sports. Yes, others will make great strides for continued equality and elevation of women and women of color in sports, but there will only ever be one Serena Williams.