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Since turning professional in 2010, Kovinic has yet to crack the
top 40 in the world rankings and is still chasing a maiden WTA
Tour title but for a few hours on Monday the 27-year-old will
have the attention of the tennis world.
A first round win over Williams and Kovinic will in one match
achieve the fame that has overlooked her during an unspectacular
12-year career.
Her name would forever be linked to the 23-times Grand Slam
winner widely considered the greatest woman to swing a racket.
For a brief moment the 80th ranked Kovinic would go from
obscurity to arguably the sport's most famous player.
No matter what Kovinic may achieve later in life, she would find
enduring fame as the answer to a sport question on pub quiz
nights or Trivia Pursuit: "Who was the last person to beat
Serena Williams".
Williams, 40, signalled 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.
The tennis world, however, is preparing a massive retirement
party at Flushing Meadows and the hope is the celebrations carry
on past opening day at the Billie Jean King Tennis Center.
Kovinic, an anonymous figure who has spent much of her career
grinding away on outside courts, playing qualifiers and minor
tournaments, will walk into a seething cauldron.
The match on Arthur Ashe Center Court, the world's largest
tennis stadium, will be packed with most of the nearly 25,000
cheering for the tennis icon standing across from her.
Williams will feel different emotions but the surroundings and
scene will be familiar as she plays in her 21st U.S. Open,
having hoisted the title six times, though not since 2014.
In contrast, Kovinic has won just two matches at Flushing
Meadows, beating Serbian Aleksandra Krunic in the opening round
in 2015 and Australian Lisette Faith Cabrera in 2020.
STAGE FRIGHT
If Kovinic is experiencing stage fright she is not showing it,
instead choosing to embrace the opportunity by posting on
Instagram and Twitter, "WHAT A MOMENT. Looking forward to this".
Having been world number one for 319 weeks, Williams arrives in
New York ranked below 600 and unseeded.
She now plays sporadically, competing at just three events this
season. In fact, since being beaten in the last 16 at Roland
Garros in June 2021, she has won only one match.
While few expect Williams to end her career with a fairytale run
to a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title, fewer still would
bet on Kovinic, the aggressive baseliner from Cetinje, to show
her the exit.
Reigning U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu, one of the few
players to have recently taken them on - beating Williams last
week in Cincinnati and falling to Kovinic in the second round of
the Australian Open - is making no predictions.
"For me facing her (Williams) the other week, I couldn't think
about who was on the other side of the court because I knew as
soon as I did, my mind would probably start going," said British
teenager Raducanu. "It's really, really challenging.
"I'm going to know how Danka feels in that sort of situation. I
remember she (Kovinic) was really, really solid, was staying
with you, counter-punching. She's happy to run, happy to rally.
It's going to be a good match-up, I think."
(Reporting by Steve Keating in Toronto in Toronto; Editing by
Ken Ferris)
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