“A jet engine and a giant heartbeat,” is how another U.S. legend and New York favorite, Andre Agassi, described the sound that reverberated through that arena during his own final hurrah in 2006. I was there that year to hear the 23,000-person roar when Agassi recorded his 870th and final win, over Marcos Baghdatis. And I was there to hear it again when Serena recorded her 858th and (probably) final win, over Anett Kontaveit.
I didn’t think it was possible, but in terms of decibels, intensity, star power, and pure love, the scenes that Serena inspired this year surpassed Agassi’s farewell. Tiger Woods, Bill Clinton, Hugh Jackman, Matt Damon, Mike Tyson, Zendaya, the Hadid sisters and Anthony Anderson were just a few of the celebrities sighted during her three-night run. For years, many of us complained that Ashe was too big. Serena, like Agassi, showed us the emotional power that so many people in one place, rooting for one person, can have.
Even Serena herself sounded impressed.
“I think you can only have this experience once in a lifetime,” she said.