Serena Williams’s Final Run

<p>The U.S. Open crowned its winners this weekend. But for a lot of fans, this year’s competition was less about who won, and more about a player who wasn’t even involved in the final matches.</p><p>Serena Williams, who announced last month that she’d be retiring from tennis after this year’s tournament, has made an indelible impact on her sport and left a legacy away from the court that has very little precedent.</p><p>Guest: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/wesley-morris">Wesley Morris</a>, a critic at large for The New York Times and co-host of Times podcast “Still Processing.”</p><p>Background reading: </p><ul><li>At the U.S. Open, Serena Williams laughed, rocked sparkly shoes, rang the bell at the stock exchange, beat two opponents, teared up and said goodbye. Here’s an exploration of her<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/04/sports/tennis/serena-williams-last-us-open.html"> magical last week in tennis</a>.</li><li>As Ms. Williams played her final matches, women have seen<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/02/well/serena-williams-women-fans.html"> their own lives reflected in the triumphs and trials</a> of the tennis superstar.</li></ul><p>For more information on today’s episode, visit <a href="http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily">nytimes.com/thedaily</a>. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. </p>