The essential question in women’s tennis for the foreseeable future is this: How will it end for Serena Williams? She’ll turn 34 in the fall, an advanced age for any tennis player. But so far there have been few signs of decline, and it’s hard to say exactly how hers will begin. Will a younger player surpass her? There’s no one on the horizon. Will she lose a step? Her unmatched confidence and determination can make up for that. Will she get tired of the sport? She’s more committed to it now than she was in her 20s, and she has more career goals in her sights, including passing Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova at 18 majors and catching Steffi Graf at 22. Watching her outclass opponents when she’s at her best, it’s not hard to imagine Williams still contending for majors three years from now.
But as we found out last year, being No. 1 is not the same as winning every match. Much of Serena’s 2014 season was a disappointment to her, as she lost early at three of the four majors. A mysterious physical ailment also took her out of the Wimbledon doubles. There will likely be moments of vulnerability from Serena in 2015, and then there will be moments when, as she did at the US Open last year, she says, “Enough!”