‘She likes drama on court’ – Tennis world will be watching Serena Williams at US Open, says Barbara Schett

Eurosport expert Barbara Schett says the eyes of the tennis world will be on Serena Williams at the US Open.

However, speaking to Eurosport, Schett said that, while she expects the 23-time Grand Slam winner to be emotional when the moment comes, Williams revels in pressurised moments.

“I think it’s going to be very emotional for her because she knows the whole tennis world is going to watch her,” said Schett.

“I’m sure we are going to be sitting there. If she plays a night session, we’re going to watch it live, and that adds pressure, that’s for sure.

“But we know that Serena Williams, she likes drama on the court. She’s very emotional on court, and she likes to have people involved. It’s a show for her. It’s entertainment for her out there, and it’s not going to be easy to step out there for her.

“I’m sure there’s going to be tears after the match, or maybe when the match point against her is coming up.

“We’re waiting for an announcement from Roger Federer. He could retire, maybe Rafa Nadal – they will all decide when the time has come, and I think if I would be at the calibre of those players that have won so many Grand Slam titles, I probably wouldn’t announce it and just say it after my last match.

“So Serena wants the attention, she wants people to be aware, and let’s not forget, she’s not retiring, she’s evolving.”

One thing Schett did feel confident about is the fact that tennis hasn’t seen the last of Williams, adding that running her own agency or perhaps her daughter playing could keep her in the game.

“She will definitely stick around in tennis in a certain way,” she added. “Tennis is her passion. Tennis has opened so many doors for her. Tennis has changed her life, and if she would be able to, she would still be playing for another 10, 20 years if she could, but it’s not possible as a tennis player to have such long careers.

“Also, she wants to focus on her family, but in certain ways, I’m sure that Serena Williams will always be attached to the tennis world. She could mentor some players, she could have her own management agency.

“I’m not worried at all about Serena Williams. She wants to stay busy in her second career. I’m sure she’s very driven as well and she wants to be successful too. I can’t wait to see what’s in the pipeline for her, what she’s going to do.

“But one thing is for sure, tennis will always have a special place in her heart. That’s why I think she’s going to stay involved in a certain way – maybe Olympia is going to play on the tour one day in about 10 or 15 years, who knows?”

Schett also hailed Williams’ serve as still “one of the best” in the world.

However, Schett did add that one thing that has never wavered for Williams is her serve, which she said is still one of the best in the world across both tours.

“I’ve watched Serena play two of the four matches she’s competed in this year, and I have to say, the one in Wimbledon, I thought she had the best chances. It looked pretty good to me there. The surface favours her because she has a big serve.” Schett said.

“She doesn’t like to be involved in a lot of long rallies. I thought, okay, this is not a bad start for her in her career at the age of 40 because she hasn’t played for a whole year as well. So I thought she looked rusty, but I thought it was going to be worse.

“When I saw her playing the other day against Emma Raducanu, it was pretty obvious to me that she was just not moving the way she used to move. She was one step too far away each time. That’s why she was coming up with a lot of unforced errors.

“What I did see, though, was the difference between Serena Williams and somebody like Emma Raducanu. Serena Williams when you watch her serve, I still think it’s one of the best serves in the world, and I have to include the men as well. Her service motion is outstanding. She can hit so precisely. She can win so many free points.

“Of course, it’s not the serve that she used to have in the past because she hasn’t played much. But when you look at her, she has that forehand inside out. She can hit you off the court. Emma Raducanu doesn’t have that. I was watching Emma, everything looks very solid, but where is that one shot where you go like, ‘wow, this is a real weapon’?

“Serena Williams, even though she lost that match and she’s about to retire, she still has those shots, and the only thing that’s limiting her now is her movement because that was one of her biggest strengths in her career, especially early on before she had Olympia, that she was moving unbelievably. But she was physically so strong, and now she’s just a little bit too slow on the court.

“I think going into the US Open, she just has to enjoy this ride, playing this tournament for the very last time. To be honest, for me, she’s not going to win the title, most likely. That’s a big task, I think, for her to play seven matches in a row. She hasn’t done that for so many years now, and that’s probably going to be a little bit too much.

“But what we have to focus on is one of the tennis greats is going to retire at the US Open, and we get a chance to watch her play one last time. We have to be very conscious about that and very aware about what is happening at the US Open when she plays her last match. I’m very excited about that.”

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