“Serena Williams’ last tournament was an example of how the sport was just so warm and wide open, the most inclusive I'd ever seen” - Pam Shriver
Former doubles Grand Slam champion Pam Shriver hailed Serena Williams' most recent tournament as an example of how warm and open tennis can be.
Serena Williams bid adieu to the sport and played her last match at the US Open where she lost to Ajla Tomljanovic 5-7, 7-6, 1-6 in the third round. Naturally, the spotlight was on Williams and her campaign had become a spectacle of sorts that was not limited to just the tennis community.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion won her last Majors title at the 2017 Australian Open while she was pregnant. Following that, she continued her campaign to equal Margaret Court’s haul of 24 Majors but never quite made it despite playing multiple finals.
In an episode of The Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast, former American player Pam Shriver talked at length about the sport and how it was covering Serena Williams’ final tournament at Flushing Meadows. She also discussed whether tennis has become too niche a sport and if so, how that can be changed.
“Well, there’s been some times where we have busted out of that niche, Shriver said. "And I can just tell you, last year covering the USO and everything around Serena’s last tournament you know there was an example of how the sport was just so warm and wide open. The most inclusive I’d ever seen it.”
Shriver also went on to agree with a suggestion from the host on how tennis can improve, in its inclusivity, reach as well as structure, with the onboarding of former greats like Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Steffi Graff and Jennifer Capriati.
“And I’d like our sport actually. One of the changes I’d like to see is (to see) our greatest (players) work on for the years leading up to their retirement," she said. "Work on how these all-time greats can still contribute to the betterment of pro tennis. The betterment of tennis, not just pro tennis."
“I feel like it’s an army, it’s a wasted army of people who love the sport. So maybe that’s something that can change in the future," she added.
Serena Williams drops pregnancy workout video
Being pregnant with her second child has not stopped Serena Williams from keeping fit. To give her fans a glimpse of how she does that, the former player dropped a workout video on her YouTube channel recently.
In the video. Serena Williams starts off a warm-up by doing hip openers. She then went to work on the major muscles of her body by walking on a treadmill and doing a few mat and arm exercises followed by some cool-down stretches.
“I wanted to show you all how I’m staying fit while being pregnant at the same time," Williams said in the video. "I usually like to walk outside, but I’m going to show you, really quick, how you can enhance your walk.”
Serena Williams continued to push herself to her limits by getting a good sweat before wrapping up the video.