Serena Williams stood on the Arthur Ashe Stadium court. She’d just lost in the third round of the 2022 U.S. Open in what was billed as the final match in her incomparable career. The Republic of Tennis was conflicted. This was an occasion to toast a generational athlete—not just a generational tennis player—whose name will one day grace schools and airports.
At the same time, there should have been a collective medical timeout for all the hands being wrung with intensity. How was tennis going to replace the irreplaceable? This was Beyoncé leaving Destiny’s Child.
