US Open: Serena Williams ready to evolve away from tennis

Watson was on the other side of the net in the Wimbledon third-round match of seven summers ago. The Briton had the explicit backing of the home crowd. When she rallied to level set scores and had game points for a 4-0 advantage in the decider, it got uglier than usual. An opera of visceral sensations, the nag and snag of which perhaps channelled Serena Williams' fightback. But it was Watson who broke at love to take a 5-4 lead.

Earlier, during a changeover, the mighty American stood to deliver a message to the crowd. "Don't try me," she mouthed, wagging her index finger. In the stands, Oracene Price threw up her arms in frustration. Her daughter, the world No. 1, who had won the first two Grand Slams of 2015, was slipping. The 33-year-old's play was imploding, but something deep in her recesses was building. A fire. One spark against the another. A Broadway musical of symphony and style. Serena, in her competitive finery, has always been the very picture of the fight.

The US Open then is Serena's last competitive outing and for all the eulogies written on the iconic American nothing was more telling than her fight. That's the weapon she'll need to dial in when she takes on Montenegro's 80th-ranked Danka Kovinic in the first round on Monday. Serena and Venus will also feature in the women's doubles. Watching Serena, who was ranked No. 1 for 319 weeks, swim against the tide, in less weighty affairs are a rousing sight. Like in the second round in Roland Garros last year where the 174th-ranked Mihaela Buzarnescu was giving the almost-40 Serena a run around on the red clay. The American, in a pea-green two-piece, chased and heaved, charging up the line and across it, uncorking that dizzying cocktail of head and heart,