As Serena Williams stood one tiebreak away from her demise in the second set of the breathless, unforgettable final match of her career, a deafening wall of noise on 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 lead in the second set, her four set points evaporated in a flash.
Each time she came close, she was arrested by tension, rust, nerves. Nothing went her way, but Willams did what she has done for 27 years: she fought.
She tore into forehands, her loud, piercing grunts following every act. She desperately sprinted for every last ball, she pumped her fists and hollered at herself in encouragement.
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