"She is a threat now" - Mats Wilander on Serena Williams winning US Open
WTA
Serena Williams is now one of the favorites to win the 2022 US Open, according to former ATP World No. 1 player Mats Wilander.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion entered the 2022 US Open as her last professional tennis tournament. Williams will retire after the event, and it's a very emotional fortnight for her.
Serena didn't have any issues against Danka Kovinic in the first round of the tournament, but the proper test came in the second round. She took on the second-seeded Anett Kontaveit.
Williams played a great match, beating Kontaveit 7-6(4) 2-6 6-2 on Wednesday night in front of a packed Arthur Ashe Stadium. It was a great win, and one that now put her in the favorite conversation, at least according to Mats Wilander.
The former Swedish player works as an analyst after his tennis career. Speaking on Eurosport, Wilander said that he never heard a crowd be as loud as it was during Serena's match.
"I have not heard a crowd that loud. I think a lot of people must be seeing Serena for the first time here. She is playing great. She beat the number two player in the world and that’s a ranking that means one of the most consistent players, I am stunned."
Williams was able to produce a level not expected by many, including Wilander. The Swede was impressed by her movement and could see it getting even better, calling her one of the favorites.
"The movement is much better than I ever could’ve expected and the serve is coming back. She is a threat now. I am surprised that she can keep it up but we’ve seen Serena do this at Grand Slam tournaments when she hasn’t had a lot of matches. She wins a match, then two, then the tables flip completely, and now she is one of the favorites."
