For Venus and Serena Williams at the US Open, Day and Night Experiences

If Monday night at the US Open with Serena Williams was electric, Tuesday afternoon with her sister Venus was natural lighting: sunlit but dim.

“That’s a good analogy,” said Kim Benjamin, a longtime fan of the Williams sisters from Baton Rouge, La., who was at Arthur Ashe Stadium for both sessions.

Serena Williams’ 63, 63 win over Montenegro’s Danka Kovinic in the first round on Monday night would have been a tough act to follow for anyone, not just a sibling.

This is Serena’s selfdeclared final US Open and likely her last tournament, and she extended her stay in the singles draw by shaking off the rust and clicking into some familiar gears against Kovinic with the soldout crowd roaring to their feet as she arrived , as she prevailed and when she left after a runway tribute that featured Billie Jean King and a video tribute narrated by Oprah Winfrey.

“You could feel the energy, and you just knew that Serena was going to come out and she wanted to give it her all, because the crowd was amazing from the moment she came out,” said Benjamin, who bought a ticket at the last minute. “It was goosebumps.”

But Tuesday afternoon had a very different atmosphere. Tennis’ biggest stadium was halfempty and the reception relatively muted, although there were plenty of shouts of “We love you, Venus” and “Let’s go, V.”

Part of it is a matter of perception. The sisters will forever be linked in the public eye as doubles players and partners: sharing the same moonwalk from cracked public courts in Compton, California to Grand Slam titles and world No. 1s.

But while Venus, 42, is long past the typical tennis retirement date and hasn’t won a singles match since returning to the tour this season, she appears to be on a career timeline different from her sister’s, or at least she has a radically different one. way to make an exit.

Tuesday’s 61, 76 (5) loss to veteran unseeded Belgian Alison Van Uytvanck could turn out to be the final US Open singles match of Venus’ career , but there’s been no clarity on their plans, which only widened the disparity between the sisters’ nightly and daytime experiences this week.

They will be back on the court soon, playing doubles in a firstround match that will almost certainly be scheduled for Thursday night at Arthur Ashe Stadium. But Venus was not ready Tuesday to dispel the fog surrounding her own tennis future in one of her increasingly rare press conferences.

Question: “We know Serena and her plans after the Open. After you’ve done doubles, do you plan to evolve away from tennis and do your own thing or is tennis still at the forefront of your mind?”

Venus’ response: “I’m focused on doubles right now.”

Retirement is a fairly touchy subject for any star athlete, but Venus has had to deal with speculation and thinly veiled issues far longer than most. With his results in decline, he had to start fending off retirement inquiries in his 20s, and quashed them during a time when he experienced his renaissance season in 2017: reaching the final of the Australian Open and Wimbledon, reaching the semifinals of the US Open. and inspiringly climbing back into the top five of the rankings at the age of 37.

She has had, by almost any measure, a phenomenal career: she reached No. 1 in both singles and doubles, won seven Grand Slam singles titles (five at Wimbledon and two at the US Open), four medals at Olympic gold and 14 Grand Slam. double titles with his sister (they are 140 in the final).

But 2017’s exciting revival looks a lot like its last hurrah. He has not reached another final at any level since then and has lost in the first round of Grand Slam tournaments nine times in the past five seasons, never getting past the third round in any major during that span.

“When it’s my last, I’ll let you know,” he said as talk of retirement resurfaced after he missed out early again at Wimbledon in 2021.

At this stage, having missed almost a year of action due to injury before returning in July, he has a world ranking of 1,504.

“It was definitely the longest time I’ve been away from tennis and without a racket in my hand,” he said. “So it was a whole new experience for me, getting a racket back in my hand and trying to acclimate as quickly as possible to be ready for the US Open, which wasn’t easy.”

Because of his ranking, he can only reach tourlevel events via wildcards, like the one he was granted at this US Open. At some point, if Venus improbably extends her run beyond this tournament and season, the generosity will and should end. Young players on the rise deserve those opportunities, too, but Venus, even with a fourdigit ranking, remains an undeniable draw card and a touchstone many fans, especially those with siblings, can connect with their history

“She’s overshadowed by her sister in my opinion,” Benjamin said. “I think she obviously doesn’t have the family dynamic that Serena does now with a husband and a son. So I think he’s here for the long haul, just because he loves the game so much. I think she’s playing because win, lose or draw, she’s happy playing the game she loves.”

That’s the opinion of one devoted fan, but not the message Venus sent after her latest loss. She was asked what drives her to take to the court at this point in her career.

“Three letters,” she answered without hesitation. “WIN. This is. Very simple.”

If so, this must be a negative moment, but perhaps it is wise not to assume too much.

She’s had plenty of opportunities to walk away gracefully and enjoy the accolades, but she’s continued to head to the practice court with Eric Hechtman, the coach she now shares with Serena, and has continued to retreat into the arena, yet let it be the first. the step is not so fast.

He was hardly embarrassed and pushed 43rdranked Van Uytvanck to a tiebreaker by raising his level in the second set with the lowercapacity crowd providing plenty of positive feedback. But in the end, he couldn’t manufacture enough shape or consistency.

“In the end, it’s just rust,” Venus said. “There’s nothing you can do about it except, you know, not be rusty at some point.”

He’s now 04 in singles in 2022, but he’s not done with Arthur Ashe Stadium just yet. Bring electricity on Thursday.

Benjamin, back in Baton Rouge, won’t be able to make this shoot, but he had a few words of farewell as he made his way to the front door in the natural light.

“Be kind to Venus,” he said. “Please.”