The wait for the US Open draw has finally come to an end, and Danka Kovinic will be Serena Williams’ first opponent at the last Grand Slam of her career.
It will be a historic moment for Williams and her fans as the 40-year-old says goodbye to the sport after the tournament. After winning his first match at the Canadian Open a couple of weeks ago, the American legend announced his decision to retire from professional tennis after dominating the tour for 27 long years.
Although the 608th player has only played a total of four matches this year, winning just one, the tennis world can expect to see her once again dig deeper in her latest tournament.
This will be Serena Williams and Kovinic’s first meeting on the WTA Tour, and here’s everything you need to know about the latest:
Who is Danka Kovinic?
Danka Kovinic was born on November 18, 1994 in Cetinje, Montenegro, SR Yugoslavia. Starting playing tennis at the age of seven, she continued to improve with every step and finally turned pro in 2010.
Since she trained on clay for most of her growing up, red mud was the surface she was most successful on. Montenegrin played their first main draw Grand Slam match at the 2014 French Open where they lost in the first round.
Danka Kovinic caught the attention of the fans when she reached her first title match at Tianjin Open 2015 in China, losing to Agnieszka Radwanska. Her other two final appearances were at the 2016 Istanbul Cup in Turkey and the 2021 Charleston, a WTA 500 tournament in the United States.
The 27-year-old won the gold medal at the 2015 European Small States Games, a biennial multi-sport event that brings together the continent’s nine small states. Her main strengths are her big serve, the heavy topspin she produces with her forehand, and the flat backhand.
Although the world No. 80 has yet to win her first WTA singles title, she has already made 19 Grand Slam appearances and the 2022 US Open is her 20th. Earlier this year at the Australian Open, Kovinic scored arguably her biggest win ever when she beat 2021 US Open champion Emma Radukanu in three sets in the second round.
‘Looking forward to it’ – Danka Kovinic on meeting Serena Williams at the opening of the 2022 US Open.
As soon as the draw was announced on Thursday, Danka Kovinic took to social media to express her excitement at the opportunity to face Serena Williams in her first match. Montenegrin said she was looking forward to sharing the court with Williams.
“Which moment. Looking forward to it,” Kovinic tweeted about her first match against Serena Williams at Flushing Meadows.
Soon!