"I don't think it's a personal attack against me; they just wanted Serena Williams to win so bad" - Anett Kontaveit on partisan crowd during her 2022 US Open 2R match

Anett Kontaveit battled Serena Williams and a crowd heavily in favor of the American during her 2022 US Open second-round match on Wednesday. While fans inside the Arthur Ashe Stadium were very vocal in their support of the American veteran, the Estonian understands the reasons behind that.

Speaking at her post-match press conference, the World No. 2 stated that she completely accepted, and agreed with, the reasons behind the spectators cheering on the 40-year-old Williams.

"I expected it [the atmosphere]. You can expect something, I saw it from the previous match. When you're on the court, I mean, it was hard. I knew it was coming. Yeah, I guess you can't learn from anyone else's mistakes. Feeling it, it was something I never experienced before," she said.

"I mean, I think they were not rooting like against me. They just wanted Serena to win so bad. So, I mean, I don't think it's a personal attack against me or anything. I mean, it's fair. I mean, she deserves this, yeah," she added.

There was a moment in the third set where, with the match evenly poised, Kontaveit faced several break points early on. She managed to save one of those with a stunning forehand that grazed the line, with replays showing how marginal the call was. The fans, in disbelief at how close it was, responded with loud booing directed at Kontaveit, forcing Serena Williams to step up and control the crowd.

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"She played amazing, I tried my hardest today" - Anett Kontaveit on US Open 2R defeat to Serena Williams

Anett Kontaveit (L) and Serena Williams shake hands after their US Open second-round clash.

Praising Serena Williams for her performance in their US Open second-round contest, Anett Kontaveit said that the 23-time Grand Slam champion was a deserved winner.

The Estonian stated that while she played well, Williams raised her level on Wednesday, which made the difference.

"Yeah, I mean, I think she played really well. I mean, I thought I didn't play a bad match at all. Yeah, she definitely raised her level in the third set. She played amazing. I think also in the first set she was serving so well in these important moments. Yeah, I mean, I fought really hard, thought I played a decent match. She was better today," she said.

"She played great. I was ready for a tough match. I didn't think that anything was going to come easy for me today. I tried my hardest today. I honestly feel like Serena started playing better. She was hitting it a little bit harder, missing a little bit less. She played a very good third set I thought. She really switched it on from there, yeah," she added.