Serena Williams delays retirement from tennis

Serena Williams signalled she is not quite ready for retirement after she advanced to the second round of the U.S. Open on Monday.

This followed her defeat of 27 year-old Montenegrin opponent Danka Kovinic, with a scrappy 6-3 6-3 win.

The victory over the 80th ranked Kovinic, just her second this year, will be a confidence boost for Williams but the path to a record equalling 24th Grand Slam now gets treacherous.

Waiting in the wings is Estonian second seed Anett Kontaveit, who breezed past Jaqueline Cristian 6-3 6-0.

Kontaveit said she is eager to meet Williams and promised to give her best against the “greatest player of all time”.

“I’m really excited. I was really rooting for her to win today,” Kontaveit told reporters after her 6-3 6-0 victory over Romania’s Jaqueline Cristian. “I’ve never played against her. I mean, this is the last chance. Better late than never.

“I think the atmosphere is going to be amazing. I’m really looking forward to it. I think it’s going to be one of those matches this year that … I just have no pressure on me. I’ll just get to enjoy and play as good as I can on the day.”

Williams indicated her intention to retire in a Vogue article in early August, saying she was “evolving away from tennis” but never confirming the U.S. Open as her final event.

For tennis fans, however, the message was clear, the U.S. Open would be where she would take her final bow.

Could there be an encore?

The former-world number one has played coy even refusing to rule out next year’s Australia Open.

But in a strange post-match ceremony celebrating her career, which was not yet finished, Williams gave the clearest sign yet that the U.S. Open will indeed be her last tournament and expanded on that later in her press conference.

“It’s extremely difficult still because I absolutely love being out there,” said Williams. “The more tournaments I play, I feel like the more I can belong out there.

“But it’s time for me, you know, to evolve to the next thing.”

Pressed if the U.S. Open was definitely her last event Williams again stepped back from the brink.

“I’ve been pretty vague about it, right,” smiled Williams. “I’m going to stay vague because you never know.”

A montage of Williams career played before she appeared on court that left the door open a crack for a return some day, “if you ever decide to return Queen your throne will be waiting” ended the video.

A defiant Williams, however, made it clear she was not giving up that throne just yet.

Certainly there was no more fitting place to bring the curtain down on one of tennis’s most phenomenal careers than in a city that has been in her corner from the very beginning, fuelling runs to six U.S. Open crowns.

The magnitude of the moment was not lost on the 23,000 fans, including, former U.S. president Bill Clinton, designer Vera Wang, director Spike Lee and others who packed into Arthur Ashe not expecting to see greatness but to celebrate it.

Apart from playing in the singles, Williams will also partner her elder sister Venus in the doubles at the tournament.