Serena Williams On Verge of Making History at U.S. Open

by Eric Fulton
Over the years, tennis has faded in popularity among American sports fans. While the U.S. Open is played at the end of August/early September, it is often a reminder that most people would just rather watch football. So if you are scoring at home, it is football first and then everything else.

But, there has been one constant American tennis player that has kept us talking about the sport and she is doing everything in her power to accomplish something that has not been done since the late ‘80s. Serena Williams has become her own icon after many years following in the shadows of her older sister, Venus. While Venus has had a great career in her own right, she would probably tell all of us that she would choose her own sister has the best tennis player in the world … possibly ever.

Serena’s dominance in the tennis scene all over the globe has become nothing short of amazing for a sport that really lacks players from the United States. Most of the American players we all knew and love from the ‘80s, ‘90s and early 2000s are long gone. Venus and Serena still remain from that 2000 group in which the Williams sisters with Andy Roddick and Lindsay Davenport, just to name a few, who were going to continue a great wave of tennis players from the U.S. However, injuries and bad play would plague most of the other players leaving the likes of Venus and Serena to carry the flag of a nation that once dominated tennis.

On Tuesday night in New York, the Williams sisters met for the 14th, and quite possibly the final, time facing each other. This time it was for much more than bragging rights. History was on the line as Serena was attempting to complete the calendar grand slam (winning the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in the exact order in the same year.) Entering the match, Serena was having the most dominant year any tennis player has ever had; and she already defeated her older sister once head-to-head at Wimbledon.

It was an epic three set match with the younger sister besting the older sister. After the match, they embraced in a hug that was simply amazing to watch. Serena leads Venus all time head-to-head 9-5. Now that she passed her sister, Serena can focus on getting the grand slam. If she wins the U.S. Open final on Saturday, she will become the first woman since Steffi Graf in 1988 to accomplish the feat.

American tennis is not what it used to be. It needs Serena to be successful much liked golf needed Tiger Woods to win in the early 2000s. Why? Because it made the game more watchable when the most dominant and popular player was winning. This win at the U.S. Open will cement Serena as one of the best to ever play the sport of tennis. Will Serena make history? I would not bet against her and neither should you. 

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