There was a blanket ban on any mention of those two S words – the Serena Slam – until one S. Williams’ name was engraved on the Venus Rosewater Dish in 2015.
Victory over 21-year-old Spaniard Garbine Muguruza, whom she had fallen to at Roland Garros little more than a year ago, sealed a return to the Wimbledon winner’s list for the first time in three years.
Williams has become the second player in the Open era to complete the non-calendar year Grand Slam twice in singles after the great Steffi Graf, and her win on Saturday saw her eclipse Martina Navratilova as the oldest women’s Grand Slam champion since the sport turned professional.
The American has come full circle, not for the first time in a fluctuating career. It started with a desperate confidence-salvaging triumph in New York last September after a torrid year at the majors. How different her mindset will be when she arrives in New York in August.
She stands to achieve a rare feat, which so far has eluded her in an already decorated career – the calendar-year Grand Slam, something no player has achieved in singles since Graf in 1988. It has only been accomplished three times before.
“Yeah I totally surprise myself. I’d have never thought I would have won another Serena Slam, never. Even after the French Open I didn’t think about winning a Serena Slam so that’s super surprising. Even at 33, I did it 12 years ago, so that’s really cool,” Williams said. “A year ago I was just not doing great. I couldn’t figure out what was going wrong. I was like, 'Listen I’m just going to relax, then do the best that I can and see what happens,' and that’s kinda what I did and it worked for me.
“My main goal was to make a quarter-final of a Grand Slam and once I got there it was on to the next goal and my next goal was to do well in the US Open Series. And once I did that I was like, 'OK, now I have an opportunity to do well at the (US) Open.' I just set little goals and I just kept trying to reach them.”
At the 2003 Australian Open, Williams achieved the Serena Slam for the first time with victory over sister Venus.
She admits she has changed as a player and as a person in those 12 years since. Second time round she can appreciate the accomplishment much more.
“The main difference is I played Venus in every single final, which was definitely not easy playing probably the toughest opponent I’ve ever played so that wasn’t an easy way,” she said of her 2002-2003 run. “Now it’s just different. It’s unexpected. Back then I was on top of the world and kind of expected to win. I guess I’m expected to win now but personally I’m having more fun just really enjoying each moment so it’s a little bit different.”
Another triumph in New York, where she will enter as a three-time defending champion, would also draw her level with Graf on 22 major titles, an Open Era record.
Few realised the two times the pair crossed paths in 1999 would be a glimpse at arguably the two greatest women to have played the game.
They split their two meetings that year. It would be Graf’s last year on tour. For Williams, it would be the year she would claim her first Grand Slam singles title.
“Well gosh she’s just everything,” Williams said. “I remember I played her a couple of times and it was one of the highlights of my career ’cause you know when you’re younger and watching someone so great as her you think you’re never going to play her and then when you’re standing out there against her you’re in awe.”
Where she has been at times nonchalant and dismissive when talk of impending records beckoned in the past, there is no hiding Williams’ biggest goal for the remainder of her season.
“When I was younger that was definitely a goal of mine, to win the Grand Slam. It’s become more of like a distant dream, fable kind of thing. I’ve never been this close, so we’ll see,” she grinned.
Her biggest obstacle may not actually come in the form of any one of her 127 potential opponents at Flushing Meadows.
“Well I’m always one of my biggest competitors. I can always stop myself. So that’s why I kind of just try and stay positive on the court and stay really focused and as calm as I can,” Williams said. “Physically, right now I feel really good so I’m interested to see how I’ll feel going into the hard-court season.”
In any case, should Williams’ fiercely emotional antics in the heat of battle emerge with the record in sight, one thing will remain unchanged – her mother Oracene’s courtside reaction.
Even if she completes the calendar slam.
“I’m pretty sure she will look just stoic as normal. Or she might not even know what happened to be honest,” Williams laughed. “She’ll be like, ‘What happened, Serena?’ That’s mum.”