US Open 2014: Serena Williams adds even more weight to her legacy by turning into a 'nice' champion

Serena Williams posing with the US Open 2014 trophy

Has age mellowed Serena Williams down just a tiny bit? You wouldn’t think that by the way she continues to bash any mid-court ball that comes within 10 feet of her, but as she rapidly approaches the 34th year of her celebrated life, you can’t help but notice a certain diminution in the fierceness that so characterized her earlier.

After she won her 6th US Open title – and 18th Grand Slam overall – by defeating Caroline Wozniacki 6-3, 6-3 in yesterday’s final, there were no over-the-top screams or violent fist-pumps from her. Instead, she became overcome with emotion, shed a few copious tears of happiness (or was it relief?), and warmly embraced her beaten foe, who also happens to go by the name “Serena’s bestie” these days.

Bringing out the demure

The whole affair in Arthur Ashe stadium yesterday had an an air of pleasantness to it, rather than the blood-curdling intensity usually associated with the American’s matches. First, of course, there was Serena’s serve, which remains one of the most comforting shots in tennis. Sure, it can look terrifying if you’re standing across the net from her, but if you’re ever looking for a reassuring stroke in the game, you can’t do better than that serve.

When the Serena serve is working, you get the feeling that everything is right with the world, just the way you feel all warm and fuzzy inside when you see a Rafael Nadal forehand, a Novak Djokovic backhand or a Roger Federer volley working its magic.

Serena’s groundstrokes, meanwhile, looked a little more demure than usual yesterday; it almost seemed like she didn’t want to be mean to her friend who had worked so hard to get to another Major final. Wozniacki tried running down every single one of Serena’s line-painting forehands and backhands, and just when she seemed hopelessly out of position, Serena would hit a ball down the middle which would allow the Dane to get back in the point.

Was Serena really being ‘too nice’, or was it just a case of nerves that was preventing her from being as aggressive as she’d want to be? It’s hard to tell, but the competitive rallies and well-constructed points it led to were certainly pleasing to the eye.

Putting on a show

There were fears that the match was going to be a complete blowout, especially if Serena played even half as well as she did against Ekaterina Makarova in the semis. That match was a lesson in no-holds-barred, spectacularly precise aggressive tennis; Marin Cilic was not the only one who had a perfect day (or a near-perfect one, if you’re going to be pedantic about it) in this year’s US Open semifinals.

Fortunately for the Dane, that version of Serena was nowhere to be seen in the final. But Wozniacki, bless her heart, doesn’t have any weapons with which she can hurt the American, so the result was never going to be in any real doubt. Still, all credit to her for turning the final into an entertaining encounter. Serena played controlled, even slightly tentative tennis for most of the match, and Wozniacki did the best she could to extend the rallies and stay in the contest long enough, hoping perhaps for a meltdown from the legend.

The meltdown never came, of course, and Serena duly completed the victory by breaking her opponent’s serve one last time. By refusing to let the Dane hold in that game, Serena ensured that she didn’t drop more than three games in any set through the entire tournament, which has got to be some kind of record.

And yet, we never really got the feeling at any point during the fortnight (well, except maybe during the Makarova match) that Serena was ruthlessly mowing down the field. She ended as the champion, sure, but this time, she was a composed, even a little subdued champion. There were barely a few visceral “Come On!”s, and not nearly as many death-stares at the opponent as we are accustomed to seeing from her. Where were the shenanigans, the fire, the drama?

In the company of legends

Perhaps Serena was determined to take tennis to the calm, sepia-toned days of the past, when champions like Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert went about their business with as much fanfare as you’d find in a monastery of silence. And who can blame her, when the two legends were courtside, waiting to welcome her into the elite club of 18-time Slammers?

54 Slams in a single picture: Martina Navratilova, Serena Williams and Chris Evert

It was a picture that seemed to come straight out of a postcard, as Navratilova and Evert went up to the podium and greeted Serena, who was now one of their own. 54 Majors in a single frame: you don’t get to see something like that very often.

Did the thought, “but who is the greatest of us three?” cross any of their minds in that moment? Not likely, if their warm smiles and glowing expressions were anything to go by. This was a moment for posterity, and nothing in the world was going to tarnish it.

It’s a wonderful, wonderful world

The feel-good factor of the whole event reached its peak with Serena, Navratilova, Evert and Wozniacki giggling and blowing air-kisses at each other. And this was no show of fake affection, at least not on the part of the evening’s two protagonists; there was no mistaking the genuine camarederie between Serena and Wozniacki. As the Dane accepted the runner-up trophy, she declared to Serena, “You owe me drinks later”. I don’t think anyone doubted that the two would actually go out for drinks later in the night. (As it turns out, there would be selfies and duckfaces too, in addition to the drinks).

When did women’s tennis turn from catty and unpleasant to respectful and nice? It’d be hard to put a finger on the exact moment the transformation started, but there’s no doubting that Serena, with her newfound composure and maturity, had something to do with it. She’s always been an incredibly fair and upright sportswoman; but now, for the first time, she’s also coming off as a champion who doesn’t need to constantly be on edge.

The unbridled intensity and the blazing fire may have been subdued just a little, but the talent, the competitiveness and the sporting spirit remain as strong as ever. To us, that may seem a little strange, but to immortals like her, it’s just something called aging.

Serena Williams, a few days shy of 33, has mellowed down a little, but continues to be a great champion. Can anyone ask for anything more?