Even after 23 Grand Slam titles and more than two decades of professional tennis, Serena Williams is still fighting to quiet the voice within that wants her to strive for no less than perfection.
The 38-year-old American overcame stiff competition in the second round of the US Open on Thursday, defeating Russia’s Margarita Gasparyan in straight sets, telling reporters that she was still working towards giving up her fight for perfection.
“I always feel like I’m not perfect unless I’m perfect. That’s not a fun way to live your career and live your life,” she said.
The six-time US Open champion is once again gunning for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title, coming heartbreakingly close to achieving the goal with four finals appearances in majors since she returned from maternity leave.
Her career is the undeniable product of a relentless and lifelong drive for perpetual self-improvement. But acknowledging perfection is among the biggest challenges she has faced.
“You can’t win every single match every time, and that’s kind of the pressure I put on myself. It’s just completely unrealistic,” she said, adding that some of her earliest memories were those of self-torment over her perceived shortcomings.
“I was going to school and doing, like, the alphabet and it wasn’t perfect,” she said. “I stayed up and kept erasing it until I got it perfect.
“Then I would cry and then I would erase it and redo it and redo it. I remember I woke up the next day and I didn’t finish my homework because I kept erasing it.
“That’s been really the story of my life. It’s so, so crazy because my daughter does the exact same thing.”
Williams claimed her 102nd US Open match win in Tuesday’s first round — yet another record broken — and next faces fellow American Sloane Stephens in the third round.
“I feel like every day I’m on a new journey, and in this tournament in particular and this year, it’s just a new journey,” Williams said.
“I feel like I’m on that journey and I’m going in the right direction.”
Meanwhile, Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime proved too strong for former champion Andy Murray, cutting short the Briton’s Grand Slam comeback at the US Open with a breezy 6-2 6-3 6-4 victory in the second round on Thursday.
The 20-year-old Auger-Aliassime, seeded 15th at the hardcourt Grand Slam, went on the offensive from the start and seized control by making the 2012 US Open champion, who has had two hip surgeries, move all around the court.
Murray came back from two sets down to beat Yoshihito Nishioka in four hours and 39 minutes in his opening round, but did not have the strength or stamina to script another comeback and suffered four breaks of serve in the match.
Auger-Aliassime did not face a single break point and hit 52 winners compared with the nine managed by the Scot, who was playing his first Slam since the 2019 Australian Open.
Williams faces old foe at US Open
Image: US TODAY SPORTS/ROBERT DEUTSCH
Even after 23 Grand Slam titles and more than two decades of professional tennis, Serena Williams is still fighting to quiet the voice within that wants her to strive for no less than perfection.
The 38-year-old American overcame stiff competition in the second round of the US Open on Thursday, defeating Russia’s Margarita Gasparyan in straight sets, telling reporters that she was still working towards giving up her fight for perfection.
“I always feel like I’m not perfect unless I’m perfect. That’s not a fun way to live your career and live your life,” she said.
The six-time US Open champion is once again gunning for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title, coming heartbreakingly close to achieving the goal with four finals appearances in majors since she returned from maternity leave.
Her career is the undeniable product of a relentless and lifelong drive for perpetual self-improvement. But acknowledging perfection is among the biggest challenges she has faced.
“You can’t win every single match every time, and that’s kind of the pressure I put on myself. It’s just completely unrealistic,” she said, adding that some of her earliest memories were those of self-torment over her perceived shortcomings.
“I was going to school and doing, like, the alphabet and it wasn’t perfect,” she said. “I stayed up and kept erasing it until I got it perfect.
“Then I would cry and then I would erase it and redo it and redo it. I remember I woke up the next day and I didn’t finish my homework because I kept erasing it.
“That’s been really the story of my life. It’s so, so crazy because my daughter does the exact same thing.”
Williams claimed her 102nd US Open match win in Tuesday’s first round — yet another record broken — and next faces fellow American Sloane Stephens in the third round.
“I feel like every day I’m on a new journey, and in this tournament in particular and this year, it’s just a new journey,” Williams said.
“I feel like I’m on that journey and I’m going in the right direction.”
Meanwhile, Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime proved too strong for former champion Andy Murray, cutting short the Briton’s Grand Slam comeback at the US Open with a breezy 6-2 6-3 6-4 victory in the second round on Thursday.
The 20-year-old Auger-Aliassime, seeded 15th at the hardcourt Grand Slam, went on the offensive from the start and seized control by making the 2012 US Open champion, who has had two hip surgeries, move all around the court.
Murray came back from two sets down to beat Yoshihito Nishioka in four hours and 39 minutes in his opening round, but did not have the strength or stamina to script another comeback and suffered four breaks of serve in the match.
Auger-Aliassime did not face a single break point and hit 52 winners compared with the nine managed by the Scot, who was playing his first Slam since the 2019 Australian Open.
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