The interview came after Williams won her second U.S. Open match Wednesday night.
There's a reason they call her the Greatest Of All Time.
During Serena Williams' post-game interview following her U.S. Open win against Estonian tennis player, Anett Kontaveit, Wednesday night, she was asked if she was surprised with herself with her "level" of play at the moment.
And Williams, who had just come off a first-round win Tuesday, had the best response.
"What?" Williams asked.
"Are you surprised at yourself with your level?" the reporter asked, repeating her initial question.
Williams simply smirked and chuckled, prompting the reporter to realize that she may have already known the answer to that question.
"No, I know," the reporter replied
"I mean, I'm just Serena, you know," the tennis great said.
Not that it's breaking news, but Williams is a pretty great player. The 23-time Grand Slam winner gave herself a pat on the back after her win Wednesday, telling the reporter, "Well, I'm a pretty good player."
"This is what I do best," she continued, challenging those that see her U.S. Open winning streak as a surprise. "I love a challenge. I love rising to the challenge. Yeah, I haven't played many matches, but I've been practicing really well."
While she suffered some losses pre-U.S. Open, Williams said it was all coming together in New York.
"My last few matches it just wasn't coming together," she shared. "I'm like, 'But this isn't me.' And the last couple matches, here, in New York, it's really come together."
"Maybe I should've traveled with you all," Williams quipped, which prompted a roar of applause from the adoring audience.
Wednesday's match featured a packed Arthur Ashe Stadium as celebs flocked to Flushing, New York to see Williams play in what will be her final tennis tournament. Stars in the audience included Anthony Anderson, Gigi Hadid, Bella Hadid, Marc Kalman, Kiyan Carmelo Anthony, Lala Anthony, Dionne Warwick, her sister Venus Williams Seal, Spike Lee, Tiger Woods, Zendaya, Anna Wintour and more.
Fans can next see Williams on the court with her sister, as the pair prepare to compete in the first round of doubles play Thursday, and on Friday, Williams will face off against Australia's Ajla Tomljanović, for her third-round match.
Williams kicked off the tournament Tuesday by beating Danka Kovinić 6-3, 6-3 in the first match. She stepped out in style for her final U.S. Open debut, arriving at the stadium in a black, embellished bodice and tutu skirt by Nike, with the brand noting the sparkles were "inspired by the night sky above center court."
The outfit also originally contained six layers to represent her six U.S. Open singles titles, but as Serena told Gayle King in a post-match interview, she "took four out because it was too heavy."
Serena also rocked a pair of shoes from Nike and her brand Serena Williams Jewelry that featured 1.5-carat solid gold deubrés that spelled out "mama" and "queen," reminding spectators that there's more to the tennis star's legacy than her numerous trophies.
It was a matching moment for Williams and her daughter, Olympia, with the 5-year-old daughter cheering from the stands, twinning with her mom in a matching outfit and a head full of familiar white beads. Fans will recall that Williams had the same braided style when she first won the U.S. Open in 1999.
Williams' winning streak comes after earlier this month she announced her intention to retire from the sport, and while she didn't officially use that word, she did share that she is "evolving away from tennis."
"I’m here to tell you that I’m evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me," Williams shared in a first-person account published in Vogue's September 2022 issue. "A few years ago, I quietly started Serena Ventures, a venture capital firm. Soon after that, I started a family. I want to grow that family."
"The way I see it, I should have had 30-plus grand slams. I had my chances after coming back from giving birth. I went from a C-section to a second pulmonary embolism to a grand slam final," she candidly recalled, referencing her epic comeback after welcoming Olympia in 2017. "I played while breastfeeding. I played through postpartum depression. But I didn’t get there. Shoulda, woulda, coulda. I didn’t show up the way I should have or could have. But I showed up 23 times, and that’s fine. Actually, it’s extraordinary. But these days, if I have to choose between building my tennis résumé and building my family, I choose the latter."
For more on Williams and her storied career, check out the video below.
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