As Serena Williams stood one tie-break away from her demise in the second set of the breathless, unforgettable final match of her career, a deafening wall of noise inside Arthur Ashe Stadium punctuated every minor victory she achieved.
She had led 5-3 in the first set, only for her lead to crumble. When she established a 5-2 advantage in the second set, her four set points evaporated in a flash. Each time she came close she was arrested by tension, rust, nerves.
