Serena Williams just aced this response.
After winning her match against the no. 2 seed Anett Kontaveit during the second round of the U.S. Open on Aug. 31, the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion was asked by former tennis pro and ESPN analyst Mary Joe Fernández if she surprised herself with her level of performance.
Letting out a small laugh, Williams replied, "I mean, I'm just Serena, you know?"
It was a nailing-biting night at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, New York. After narrowly edging out Kontaveit to win the first set, Williams lost the second before clinching victory in the third.
"Honestly, after I lost the second set, I thought, 'Oh my goodness, I gotta give my best effort 'cause this could be it," the athlete, who announced in an August essay for Vogue that she's retiring (or "evolving away") from tennis, continued. "And so really, I just wanted to just keep trying and see what I could do and just do my best. And I was just really excited to be honest."
When asked how she beat Kontaveit, Williams replied, "Well, I'm a pretty good player. You know, this is what I do best. I love a challenge. I love rising to the challenge."
Williams returned to tennis in June after suffering a leg injury at Wimbledon in 2021.
"I haven't played many matches, but I've been practicing really well," she added. "And my last few matches, it just wasn't coming together. I'm like, 'But this isn't me.' And, you know, the last couple matches here in New York, it's really come together."
But Williams is ready to make this final Grand Slam tournament count.
"It's no rush here," she said during the post-match interview. "I'm loving this crowd. Oh my goodness, it's really fantastic. There's still a little left in me. We'll see."
Williams has had a lot of supporters—including her husband Alexis Ohanian and 5-year-old daughter Olympia—cheering her on from her player's box. And her fans are sure to keep supporting the tennis champ as she competes in her first-round doubles match with Venus Williams on Sept. 1 and her third-round singles match against Ajla Tomljanovic on Sept. 2.
To see some of the stars who've attended the U.S. Open this year, keep scrolling.