The world’s best female tennis player arrived on Arthur Ashe Stadium court Tuesday sporting a black, purple and pink dress along with black compression sleeves, the kind of accessory Kobe Bryant would appreciate.
“It’s functional,” Serena Williams said of her arm duds.
The No. 1 seed and six-time U.S. Open singles champion then wasted no time displaying a killer instinct, something Bryant would also admire, using a mere minute to win the first game of her match against Russian Ekaterina Makarova. It would take a tidy hour and three minutes for Williams to advance to the second round, beating Makarova in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3.
Playing in her record 90th match on Ashe court the most by any player. Williams said she didn’t experience any shoulder pain during Tuesday’s match.
The nagging shoulder soreness has been an issue since Williams won her seventh Wimbledon title in July.
“Usually (the shoulder pain) is the day of, but as time progressed, and this past week, it’s usually been the day after (a match), so that’s a really positive thing,” Williams said. She added that she has been using the cupping therapy popular with swimmers such as Michael Phelps, for a long time, but that she didn’t know it is treatment that helps with recovery.
“I love getting it. It makes me relax,” she said.