Serena Williams took out a gritty win against Sloane Stephens in the 3rd round of the 2020 US Open as she continued her charge towards a record-equaling 24th grand slam.

The former World No. 1 proved her mettle by winning a tough match which seemed to be slipping out of her hands in the 2nd set. Serena is one of the greatest players to play the sport and whenever she plays there is always the scope of her beating or creating records.

In her post-match press conference, she was asked about chasing records, being ‘Serena’, and the pressures associated with it. “Sometimes it’s harder than others. Every day having ‘Serena’ on your back is a massive target for the tour, for press, for stress,” Serena said.

Serena Williams quotes Billie Jean King as she understands the pressure

Serena takes inspiration from Billie Jean King and so she is positive and thankful for being who she is.“But as Billie Jean King said, pressure is a privilege. So I wouldn’t want it any other way. So I just try to think about how fortunate I am to have been in this position, and honestly, to be Serena. It feels weird to say that.“

As mentioned before Serena is one title short of the all-time record of most Grand Slams. Margaret Court holds the record with 24 Grand Slam titles, Serena has 23 which is an open era record.

Going into the second week of the US Open, Serena plays Maria Sakkari in the 4th round. They have played each other once. Their first meeting happened last week in the Western & Southern Open, where Sakkari made a surprise comeback to defeat Serena.

Over the past few years, Serena Williams has played her best tennis at the US Open. She has struggled in other tournaments, but in her home Grand Slam, Serena has done very well.

She has reached the finals twice in the last two years, and this year she might just go all the way.

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