Rod Laver will be on a cruise Sept. 12, when Serena Williams may have the opportunity to further vault herself into tennis immortality and join the Grand Slam club in which the lefty legend from Australia is the gatekeeper.
While Laver will be cruising the North Atlantic off Newfoundland, many believe Williams will be cruising through the Flushing fortnight as Arthur Ashe Stadium turns into Grand Avenue. Her quest begins on Monday’s opening night card against 86th-ranked Russian Vitalia Diatchenko.
Even the No. 2 seed, Simona Halep, is a believer, saying after losing to Williams last Sunday in the finals in suburban Cincinnati that she’s sure Serena will not be stopped.
Laver captured two Grand Slams — in 1962 and 1969 — the last man to accomplish tennis’ greatest feat. Steffi Graf is the last woman to win all four majors in a calendar year, and she is undecided on whether to accept the USTA’s invitation to fly in from her Las Vegas home for the women’s final.
“I hope Serena does well, but she’s got seven tough matches to go,’’ Laver said by phone from his San Diego home. “There’s some young stars but they aren’t quite ready yet — Sloane [Stephens], Madison [Keys]. Nobody has yet stepped up to her level. But they have nothing to lose, and Serena has everything to lose. So the pressure is on their side. If her serve’s not working, other errors creep into her game.’’
The scouting report on Williams is it’s best to get her early in a Grand Slam, or not at all. And she’s got a tough quarter off the draw, with Stephens possibly in the third round, Keys in the round of 16 and sister Venus in the quarterfinals — if she makes it past Poland’s savvy 15th-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska.
Only five players have captured the Grand Slam — Maureen Connolly, Margaret Court, Don Budge, Laver and Graf. Only Laver and Graf have done it the Open era.
“You need health, no injuries and no sickness for seven months,’’ Laver said. “Serena’s already proven she saves her best in [majors].’’
Laver laughed at the thought his ’62 Slam, after deducting traveling expenses during the amateur era, netted him $2,000. This Grand Slam should mean a few more million-dollar endorsement deals for Williams, who trails Maria Sharapova in that category.
“I’d love to see her come through and win it,’’ Laver said. “I would think Steffi and Court would be hoping she would win it.’’
After Laver captured his second Slam, he couldn’t have imagined no man would do it in the 46 years since.
“Many times I thought so — Boris Becker was perfect, with clay-court form from Europe, tall and great on grass,’’ Laver said. “[Pete] Sampras always had the potential. And [Roger] Federer. If clay-courter Rafael Nadal wasn’t around, Federer would’ve had two.’’
Experts are hemming and hawing in trying to come up with one player who can spoil Serena’s party. Williams’ biggest threat on paper is Victoria Azarenka, on the other side of the draw. Switzerland’s young Belinda Bencic knocked off Serena two weeks ago in Toronto.
“Nobody can beat [Williams] if she’s on her game,’’ said ESPN’s analyst Chris Evert, who captured 17 majors. “There’s Azarenka and then there’s a gap. Maybe Halep, but it’s hard. I don’t think Maria will.’’
Definitely not Sharapova after she withdrew from the Open on Sunday night because of a lingering right-leg strain that caused her to pull out of the Western & Southern Open two weeks ago. She is 2-18 against Serena, anyhow.
Halep, the 23-year-old Romanian baseliner, amended her oncourt remark last Sunday, when she said Williams will pull off the Slam.
“If I will not be in the finals, then I want her to win,’’ said Halep, who routed Williams in last October’s end-of-season WTA championships. “If I’m in the finals with her, then I want to win.’’
The only player to boast about beating Serena is 56-year-old John McEnroe. Could he?
“He plays nicely,’’ the 77-year-old Laver said of Mac. “But I have no comment.’’