{"id":64125,"date":"2022-09-02T19:26:03","date_gmt":"2022-09-02T19:26:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/serena-williams-crowd-distracting-opponents-other-players\/"},"modified":"2022-09-02T19:26:03","modified_gmt":"2022-09-02T19:26:03","slug":"serena-williams-crowd-distracting-opponents-other-players","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/serena-williams-crowd-distracting-opponents-other-players\/","title":{"rendered":"Serena Williams Crowd Distracting Opponents, Other Players"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<ul class=\"summary-list\">\n<li>Serena Williams is attracting massive, record-breaking crowds to the 2022 US Open.<\/li>\n<li>Her first- and second-round opponents both described struggling with the crowd noise.<\/li>\n<li>Even players several courts away from the 23-time Grand Slam champ were distracted by the cheers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"inline-newsletter-signup &#10;                        headline-regular loading\" id=\"formContainer\" data-component-type=\"inline-newsletter-module\" data-event-label=\"morning_brew\" data-list=\"Morning Brew\" data-acq-source=\"morningbrew\" data-origin=\"MorningBrew\" data-campaign=\"sports\">\n<section class=\"inline-newsletter-content\">\n<div class=\"js-loader hidden\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"svg-icon \" version=\"1.1\" role=\"img\" width=\"50\" height=\"50\" viewbox=\"0 0 50 50\" style=\"enable-background:new 0 0 50 50;\" xml:space=\"preserve\">\n                        <title>loading<\/title>\n                        <desc>Something is loading.<\/desc>\n                        <path fill=\"#111\" d=\"M43.935,25.145c0-10.318-8.364-18.683-18.683-18.683c-10.318,0-18.683,8.365-18.683,18.683h4.068c0-8.071,6.543-14.615,14.615-14.615c8.072,0,14.615,6.543,14.615,14.615H43.935z\">\n                          <animatetransform attributetype=\"xml\" attributename=\"transform\" type=\"rotate\" from=\"0 25 25\" to=\"360 25 25\" dur=\"0.6s\" repeatcount=\"indefinite\"\/>\n                        <\/path>\n                      <\/svg><\/div>\n<\/section><\/div>\n<p>NEW YORK \u2014 Serena Williams has string together an incredible, improbable run at the 2022 US Open \u2014 more than likely the final tournament of her illustrious professional tennis career.<\/p>\n<p>The crowd noise coming from Arthur Ashe Stadium \u2014 where the 23-time Grand Slam champion has played each of her matches during primetime \u2014 have been nothing less than explosive.  Littered with movie stars, sports icons, and even former US Presidents, the audiences, nearly 30,000 strong, offered Williams chants of encouragement and several standing ovations throughout her first two victories in Flushing Meadows.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"figure image-figure-image  \" data-type=\"img\" data-e2e-name=\"image-figure-image\" data-media-container=\"image\">\n<div class=\"lazy-holder \" style=\"padding-top: calc(100% * 1667 \/ 2500)\">\n<p>                          <img class=\"lazy-image \" viewbox=\"0 0 1 1\" data-content-type=\"image\/jpeg\" srcs=\"{&quot;https:\/\/i.insider.com\/6310197e3fe7c40019e4cbbb&quot;:{&quot;contentType&quot;:&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;,&quot;aspectRatioW&quot;:2500,&quot;aspectRatioH&quot;:1667}}\" alt=\"Fans at Arthur Ashe Stadium rise to their feet upon watching Serena Williams beat Anett Kontaveit.\"\/><\/p>\n<p>                          <noscript><br \/>\n                              <br \/>\n                          <\/noscript><\/p><\/div>\n<p>                          <span class=\"image-source-caption \"><figcaption class=\"image-caption headline-bold\" data-e2e-name=\"image-caption\">\n<p>                              Fans at Arthur Ashe Stadium rise to their feet upon watching Williams beat Anett Kontaveit.<br \/>\n                            <\/figcaption><span class=\"image-source headline-regular\" data-e2e-name=\"image-source\"><\/p>\n<p>                                AP Photo\/Julia Nikhinson<br \/>\n                              <\/span><br \/>\n                          <\/span><br \/>\n                      <\/figure>\n<p>Montenegro&#8217;s Danka Kovini\u0107 and Estonia&#8217;s Anett Kontaveit \u2014 Williams&#8217; first- and second-round opponents, respectively \u2014 both said they struggled with the crowd noise and bias during their matches against the sport&#8217;s greatest-ever champion.  Kovini\u0107, who was ranked World No.  80 heading into this year&#8217;s US Open, had almost certainly never played a match as high-profile and closely watched as Monday night&#8217;s opener.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It was so loud,&#8221; Kovini\u0107 said with a laugh after the match.  &#8220;Everyone was telling me that this is maybe the loudest court in tennis. It was really loud in some moments&#8230;. That was one thing definitely on the outside courts, we don&#8217;t have this experience.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I remember first game, the forehand that I missed for Serena to [go up] 1-0, that one hit in the net,&#8221; she added. &#8220;Because everyone went crazy, I mean, at that moment, I didn&#8217;t hear that sound so I couldn&#8217;t anticipate where the ball will go.  That was the first moment when I realized, &#8216;Okay, if they&#8217;re going to be this loud, whole match is going to be tough.'&#8221;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"figure image-figure-image  \" data-type=\"img\" data-e2e-name=\"image-figure-image\" data-media-container=\"image\">\n<div class=\"lazy-holder \" style=\"padding-top: calc(100% * 4510 \/ 6762)\">\n<p>                          <img class=\"lazy-image \" viewbox=\"0 0 1 1\" data-content-type=\"image\/jpeg\" srcs=\"{&quot;https:\/\/i.insider.com\/6310181a3e08f700196c4d27&quot;:{&quot;contentType&quot;:&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;,&quot;aspectRatioW&quot;:3381,&quot;aspectRatioH&quot;:2255}}\" alt=\"Serena Williams.\"\/><\/p>\n<p>                          <noscript><br \/>\n                              <img src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/6310181a3e08f700196c4d27?width=600&amp;format=jpeg&amp;auto=webp\"\/><br \/>\n                          <\/noscript><\/p><\/div>\n<p>                          <span class=\"image-source-caption \"><figcaption class=\"image-caption headline-bold\" data-e2e-name=\"image-caption\">\n<p>                              Williams.<br \/>\n                            <\/figcaption><span class=\"image-source headline-regular\" data-e2e-name=\"image-source\"><\/p>\n<p>                                Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports<br \/>\n                              <\/span><br \/>\n                          <\/span><br \/>\n                      <\/figure>\n<p>Kontaveit, meanwhile, was ranked second in the world upon facing the six-time US Open singles champion in Wednesday night&#8217;s three-set thriller.  The 26-year-old has played many high-stakes matches over the course of her young but impressive career.<\/p>\n<p>Still, none of them could have possibly prepared her for the atmosphere surrounding what was widely expected to be Williams&#8217; final singles match.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I expected it. You can expect something \u2014 I saw it from the previous match \u2014 but when you&#8217;re on the court, I mean, it was hard,&#8221; Kontaveit said after her loss Wednesday night.  &#8220;I knew it was coming, but I guess you can&#8217;t learn from anyone else&#8217;s mistakes. Feeling it, it was something I never experienced before.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"figure image-figure-image  \" data-type=\"img\" data-e2e-name=\"image-figure-image\" data-media-container=\"image\">\n<div class=\"lazy-holder \" style=\"padding-top: calc(100% * 1879 \/ 2500)\">\n<p>                          <img class=\"lazy-image \" viewbox=\"0 0 1 1\" data-content-type=\"image\/jpeg\" srcs=\"{&quot;https:\/\/i.insider.com\/63120ff33fe7c40019e4ffb8&quot;:{&quot;contentType&quot;:&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;,&quot;aspectRatioW&quot;:2500,&quot;aspectRatioH&quot;:1879}}\" alt=\"Anett Kontaveit (left) shakes hands with Serena Williams following their second-round match at the 2022 US Open.\"\/><\/p>\n<p>                          <noscript><br \/>\n                              <img src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/63120ff33fe7c40019e4ffb8?width=600&amp;format=jpeg&amp;auto=webp\"\/><br \/>\n                          <\/noscript><\/p><\/div>\n<p>                          <span class=\"image-source-caption \"><figcaption class=\"image-caption headline-bold\" data-e2e-name=\"image-caption\">\n<p>                              Kontaveit (left) shakes hands with Williams following their second-round match at the 2022 US Open.<br \/>\n                            <\/figcaption><span class=\"image-source headline-regular\" data-e2e-name=\"image-source\"><\/p>\n<p>                                Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports<br \/>\n                              <\/span><br \/>\n                          <\/span><br \/>\n                      <\/figure>\n<p>&#8220;Of course it was every moment,&#8221; she added, referring to Williams.  &#8220;I mean, I was trying to do my own thing, [but] this is totally about her.  I was very aware of that&#8230;. I think they were not rooting against me, they just wanted Serena to win so bad.  So, I mean, I don&#8217;t think it&#8217;s a personal attack against me or anything.  It&#8217;s fair \u2014 she deserves this.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>But the players in the unenviable position some 78 feet across the court from Williams weren&#8217;t the only ones affected by the raucous crowds following her every move.  Athletes competing on neighboring courts clearly at the same time could hear the cheers and jeers emerging from Arthur Ashe.<\/p>\n<p>Even those positioned a considerable distance from the US Open&#8217;s main stadium \u2014 the largest tennis arena in the world \u2014 were catching the racket from across the grounds in Queens.  Ajla Tomljanovi\u0107, the 29-year-old Australian who will play Williams in Friday night&#8217;s third-round match, said she could hear the hubbub from the outer courts.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"figure image-figure-image  \" data-type=\"img\" data-e2e-name=\"image-figure-image\" data-media-container=\"image\">\n<div class=\"lazy-holder \" style=\"padding-top: calc(100% * 1667 \/ 2500)\">\n<p>                          <img class=\"lazy-image \" viewbox=\"0 0 1 1\" data-content-type=\"image\/jpeg\" srcs=\"{&quot;https:\/\/i.insider.com\/631231ca3fe7c40019e50ec2&quot;:{&quot;contentType&quot;:&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;,&quot;aspectRatioW&quot;:2500,&quot;aspectRatioH&quot;:1667}}\" alt=\"Ajla Tomlijanovi\u0107 during every second-round match at the 2022 US Open.\"\/><\/p>\n<p>                          <noscript><br \/>\n                              <img src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/631231ca3fe7c40019e50ec2?width=600&amp;format=jpeg&amp;auto=webp\"\/><br \/>\n                          <\/noscript><\/p><\/div>\n<p>                          <span class=\"image-source-caption \"><figcaption class=\"image-caption headline-bold\" data-e2e-name=\"image-caption\">\n<p>                              Ajla Tomlijanovi\u0107 during every second-round match at the 2022 US Open.<br \/>\n                            <\/figcaption><span class=\"image-source headline-regular\" data-e2e-name=\"image-source\"><\/p>\n<p>                                Mike Stobe\/Getty Images<br \/>\n                              <\/span><br \/>\n                          <\/span><br \/>\n                      <\/figure>\n<p>&#8220;I was playing on Court 7, both of my matches so far, at the same time as her, and I could hear the crowd,&#8221; the World No.  46 said Wednesday after her three-set victory.  &#8220;I&#8217;m like, Court 7 isn&#8217;t that close. I kept thinking, &#8216;Oh, my God, that&#8217;s annoying me, and I&#8217;m not even playing against her.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;When the crowd gets involved, that&#8217;s what it can get to you,&#8221; she added, looking ahead to Friday night&#8217;s match.  &#8220;I think maybe the closest thing to it was when I played Emma [Raducanu] Court 1 in Wimby.  I remember coming off that match and thinking, &#8216;Wow, that was intense.&#8217;  I mean, it got to me a little bit, the volume of the crowd.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Tomljanovi\u0107 plans to borrow a strategy from Novak Djokovic, the Serbian superstar who famously was not allowed to compete at this year&#8217;s US Open after his refusal to get vaccinated for COVID-19.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"figure image-figure-image  \" data-type=\"img\" data-e2e-name=\"image-figure-image\" data-media-container=\"image\">\n<div class=\"lazy-holder \" style=\"padding-top: calc(100% * 1332 \/ 1776)\">\n<p>                          <img class=\"lazy-image \" viewbox=\"0 0 1 1\" data-content-type=\"image\/jpeg\" srcs=\"{&quot;https:\/\/i.insider.com\/631232013fe7c40019e50ed7&quot;:{&quot;contentType&quot;:&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;,&quot;aspectRatioW&quot;:4,&quot;aspectRatioH&quot;:3}}\" alt=\"Novak Djokovic of Serbia reacts during his quarter finals match against Lorenzo Sonego of Italy on day seven of the Erste Bank Open tennis tournament at Wiener Stadthalle\"\/><\/p>\n<p>                          <noscript><br \/>\n                              <img src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/631232013fe7c40019e50ed7?width=600&amp;format=jpeg&amp;auto=webp\"\/><br \/>\n                          <\/noscript><\/p><\/div>\n<p>                          <span class=\"image-source-caption \"><figcaption class=\"image-caption headline-bold\" data-e2e-name=\"image-caption\">\n<p>                              Novak Djokovic.<br \/>\n                            <\/figcaption><span class=\"image-source headline-regular\" data-e2e-name=\"image-source\"><\/p>\n<p>                                Getty\/Thomas Kronsteiner<br \/>\n                              <\/span><br \/>\n                          <\/span><br \/>\n                      <\/figure>\n<p>The 21-time Grand Slam champion has made himself into something of a villain as a result, and has ample experience dealing with less-than-favorable crowds.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I remember Novak saying one time when they asked him a lot about this, when the crowd was against him, he just pretends it&#8217;s for him,&#8221; Tomljanovi\u0107 explained.  &#8220;When they chant, I don&#8217;t know, Rafa [Nadal]Roger [Federer]whoever, he hears Novak, Novak.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I kind of liked that response,&#8221; she added.  &#8220;I might use that on Friday night.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Serena Williams is attracting massive, record-breaking crowds to the 2022 US Open. Her first- and second-round opponents both described struggling with the crowd noise. Even players several courts away from the 23-time Grand Slam champ were distracted by the cheers. loading Something is loading. NEW YORK \u2014 Serena Williams has string together an incredible, improbable &hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"> <a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/serena-williams-crowd-distracting-opponents-other-players\/\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Serena Williams Crowd Distracting Opponents, Other Players<\/span> Read More &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":47553,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/serena-williams-crashes-out-of-cincinnati-masters-after-6-4-6-0-loss-to-emma-raducanu\/","url_meta":{"origin":64125,"position":0},"title":"Serena Williams CRASHES OUT of Cincinnati Masters after 6-4, 6-0 loss to Emma Raducanu","date":"August 17, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Serena Williams knew that defeat was a possibility against Emma Raducanu at the Cincinnati Open. But she would never have anticipated it to be as brutal as this.The 19-year-old US Open champion swept the retiring Williams aside in an hour and five minutes, winning 6-4 6-0 in a merciless and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"It was a quick goodbye from Serena Williams in Cincinnati after Emma Raducanu beat her","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2022\/08\/17\/01\/61451329-11116513-image-a-24_1660697003384.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":62436,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/serena-williams-rolls-back-the-years-at-us-open-to-beat-no-2-seed-kontaveit-serena-williams\/","url_meta":{"origin":64125,"position":1},"title":"Serena Williams rolls back the years at US Open to beat No 2 seed Kontaveit |  Serena Williams","date":"September 1, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Serena Williams is improbably through to the third round of the US Open after a 7-6 (4), 2-6, 6-2 win over the second-seeded Anett Kontaveit on Wednesday night, extending what she's strongly hinted will be the final event of her storied career for at least two more days.The 23-time major\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":65767,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/us-open-2022-what-its-like-to-be-ajla-tomljanovic-the-villain-in-the-serena-williams-fairy-tale-farewell\/","url_meta":{"origin":64125,"position":2},"title":"US Open 2022 &#8211; What it&#8217;s like to be Ajla Tomljanovic, the villain in the Serena Williams&#8217; fairy-tale farewell","date":"September 4, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"NEW YORK -- Ajla Tomljanovic's first words in her postmatch interview Friday after beating Serena Williams were, \"I'm feeling really sorry.\"She spoke just a minute after Williams had walked off the court at Arthur Ashe Stadium, for what is likely to be the final time as a pro. Tomljanovic had\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":42315,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/serena-williams-begins-the-not-too-long-goodbye\/","url_meta":{"origin":64125,"position":3},"title":"Serena Williams Begins the Not-Too-Long Goodbye","date":"August 11, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"As a champion who says she hates goodbyes, Serena Williams could have made her exit from tennis in other ways.In a news release or Instagram post; by post-match interview or by simply walking away and staying away without formalizing her farewell.Instead, by making it plain this week that the end\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":63103,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/anett-kontaveit-instagram-post-goes-viral-after-loss-to-serena-williams\/","url_meta":{"origin":64125,"position":4},"title":"Anett Kontaveit Instagram Post Goes Viral After Loss to Serena Williams","date":"September 1, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"When Anett Kontaveit was preparing for the US Open, little did she know how much of a spectacle her second match would become.The world No. 2 lost to Serena Williams on Wednesday night, experiencing a true road-game atmosphere as much of the crowd was on Williams' side. Many stars were\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":60498,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/sparkling-serena-williams-overcomes-tepid-start-to-delight-us-open-crowd-serena-williams\/","url_meta":{"origin":64125,"position":5},"title":"Sparkling Serena Williams overcomes tepid start to delight US Open crowd |  Serena Williams","date":"August 30, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"As Serena Williams desperately tried to drag herself through the first set of the match that could have marked the end, she was struggling badly. She had been sucked into an endless service game at 5-3 and she could only fight to hold on. She eventually faced her fourth break\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"Gayle King interviews Serena Williams on court after her victory.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/423ac3068aafe5b4c9c3891e775a0c8fde95b776\/0_0_5351_3413\/master\/5351.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/631225473e08f700196c8620?width=1200&format=jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64125"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=64125"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64125\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64125"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=64125"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=64125"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}