She referred to the lengthy layoff in her interview Wednesday however stated, “I really like a problem.”

Williams will subsequent face Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic within the third spherical. Tomljanovic, who was taking part in concurrently Williams on Wednesday, defeated Russian Evgeniya Rodina 1-6, 6-2, 7-5.

And Williams shouldn’t be taking part in simply singles; she is going to open doubles play together with her sister Venus Williams on Thursday evening.

“I would like extra matches,” she informed ESPN. “I really like rising to the problem. Yeah, I have not performed many matches, however I have been training rather well. In my previous couple of matches, it simply wasn’t coming collectively. I am like, This is not me.”

Issues have modified since she began taking part in on the Open, she stated.

“I’ve by no means favored the phrase retirement. It does not really feel like a contemporary phrase to me. I have been pondering of this as a transition, however I wish to be delicate about how I take advantage of that phrase, which implies one thing very particular and necessary to a group of individuals,” Williams stated within the Vogue article revealed earlier this month.

“Possibly the very best phrase to explain what I am as much as is evolution. I am right here to inform you that I am evolving away from tennis, towards different issues which might be necessary to me,” she stated.

At her post-match information convention Monday, Williams was requested if that is positively her final match.

“Yeah, I have been fairly imprecise about it, proper?” she stated with a smile. “I’ll keep imprecise since you by no means know.”

The opening-round win over Kovinić was the very best Serena Williams has seemed since making her comeback from harm. She has managed to win only one match since returning to the circuit in June and has been unable to get near the shape that helped her win her final grand slam title in 2017.

Whereas Williams was nonetheless a means off that degree in Monday’s win over Kovinić, it is going to have actually given her hope that her final dance on the US Open might be prolonged.

One of many best tennis gamers ever, Williams has received 23 grand slam singles titles and has received the US Open six instances, most not too long ago in 2014. Now 40 years outdated, Williams’ profession will come full circle as her remaining match — in whichever spherical that seems to be — is to be performed on the website of the primary of her grand slam singles wins, the 1999 US Open.

Then simply a youngster, Williams burst onto the scene to stun world No. 1 Martina Hingis within the remaining and lay the primary stepping stone on her path to twenty years of dominance.

Kontaveit is a rising star

After Kontaveit received her first Tour-level title in 2017 her true breakout yr got here in 2021 as she received 4 WTA tournaments to rise by way of the rankings.

An aggressive participant with a diverse recreation and highly effective forehand, Kontaveit broke into the world’s high 10 for the primary time in November 2021 and has been a mainstay since.

She sits at a career-high rating of No. 2 — the best rating in historical past for an Estonian — and at age 26 will definitely be trying to enhance on her finest exhibiting at a grand slam, a quarterfinal look on the 2020 Australian Open.

Kontaveit seemed spectacular in her opening-round US Open win over Jaqueline Cristian of Romania, dropping simply three video games, and stated after her win that she was “rooting” for Williams in her first-round match and is “actually excited” to play in opposition to her.

“I’ve by no means performed in opposition to her. I imply, that is the final likelihood,” she informed reporters. “Higher late than by no means.

“I am actually excited. I believe the environment goes to be superb. I am actually wanting ahead to it.”