NEW YORK — As the match slipped away from the Williams sisters on Thursday night, the crowd oscillated between desperation and brief exhilaration.
Moments of greatness from Venus and Serena were greeted with cacophonous celebration. But it was the times when things went astray that betrayed the real emotion of this occasion.
Within Arthur Ashe, there was a collective acceptance that we’ll likely never see the two together on the court again.
As the Czech duo of Lucie Hradecka and Linda Noskova edged away, unforced errors or lost break points were met with murmuring encouragement from the crowd, willing their heroines to summon another tennis miracle. To grant them one more encore.
Barring a change of heart, Serena has indicated she will leave the sport in the next 10 days. Venus’ immediate future is unclear. She has taken a supportive role in Serena’s farewell tour, one in the shadow of her younger sister.
While Serena’s two victorious singles matches at the US Open have been under the lights amid an atmosphere akin to a once-in-a-generation boxing fight, Venus’ defeat to Alison van Uytvanck on Tuesday was in the midday sun in front of a half-full Arthur Ashe.
There was no welcoming montage for her — but then again there has been no announcement regarding her future. When asked earlier in the week whether she too was contemplating her own evolution, she responded she was just focusing on the doubles with Serena.
“I think Venus deserves more credit,” said one fan who’d traveled from Nebraska this morning to see her heroines. “But this has been Serena’s tournament — Venus is being a good sister.”
That’s been her role over the past year. While Venus has been developing her businesses and continuing her return to tennis, Serena who has been driving her own narrative around her future in, and away from, the sport.
It was Serena’s call for the duo to play doubles here — “she’s the boss,” Venus says.
“I feel like it’s been very important for her to be a part of this,” Serena said Monday. “She’s my rock. I’m super excited to play with her and just do that again.”
Venus of course answered the call. “We’re a huge influence on each other, and I’m a huge influence on her,” Venus said earlier this week. But when it came to Serena’s “evolution” Venus knew how to play that.
“I just kind of felt like my role is to make…
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