In case it wasn't abundantly clear, people really love Serena Williams.
The greatest women's tennis player of all time has been on a farewell tour since announcing her retirement from the sport following the 2022 U.S. Open. In her first match of the grand slam tournament, Williams looked like her old self, eviscerating her opponent, Danka Kovinić, in straight sets, (6-3, 6-3), to temporarily halt her retirement plans, at least for another round.
A victory was no sure thing, so Williams' match was treated like it could be her last. She received praise from CBS' Gayle King, tennis legend Billie Jean King and from the U.S. Open crowd itself.
On the precipice of a first-round win, Williams reached match point and what's usually a reserved crowd stood on their feet for the entire point until Serena emerged victorious, according to The Guardian's tennis journalist Tumaini Carayol.
That's an incredible gesture from a crowd that absolutely admires the beloved Williams. Nearly the entire crowd knew that this could be Williams' final win in her illustrious career and responded in kind.
That crowd included celebrities like filmmaker Spike Lee. While Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James wasn't in attendance, he did tweet his support for Williams.
Williams, who's won 23 women’s grand slam tournament victories, is one shy of Margaret Court’s record for most majors won all time.
Serena Williams will next face Anett Kontaveit of Estonia, the No. 2 player in the world, on Wednesday, August 31, in what could be Williams’ final match of her record-breaking career.
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