Former Austrian tennis player Barbara Schett has said Serena Williams‘ swansong at the 2022 US Open will not be easy for her and expects the moment to be emotional.

Barbara Schett opined that the tennis world will be watching Serena Williams keenly at the Arthur Ashe Stadium as she takes centrestage in the last tournament of her career.

The 23-time Grand Slam winner announced her plans to call time on her professional career at the end of the final Grand Slam in New York, a tournament she has won six times.

Speaking to Eurosport, Schett said she expects the 23-time Grand Slam winner to be emotional when the moment comes.

“We know that Serena Williams, she likes drama on the court. She’s very emotional on the court, and she likes to have people involved. It’s a show for her. It’s entertainment for her out there, and it’s not going to be easy to step out there for her, she told Eurosport.

Schett added that she wouldn’t be surprised to see tears after Williams’ final match at Flushing Meadows.

“I’m sure there’s going to be tears after the match, or maybe when the match point against her is coming up. I think it’s going to be very emotional for her because she knows the whole tennis world is going to watch her.

“I’m sure we are going to be sitting there. If she plays a night session, we’re going to watch it live, and that adds pressure, that’s for sure,” she explained.

Serena Williams might be involved with tennis in someway or the other: Schett

The former Austrian tennis player hoped that Williams would be involved with tennis in some way or another after her playing career ends.

Schett, a former World No. 7, hoped that Williams running her own agency or perhaps her daughter playing could keep her in the game.

“She will definitely stick around in tennis in a certain way. Tennis is her passion. Tennis has opened so many doors for her. Tennis has changed her life, and if she would be able to, she would still be playing for another 10, 20 years if she could, but it’s not possible.

“I’m sure that Serena Williams will always be attached to the tennis world. She could mentor some players, she could have her own management agency,” she said.

Williams’ won her last US Open title in 2014. Although she has reached two finals since then, in 2018 and 2019, she lost to Naomi Osaka and Bianca Andreescu, respectively.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion won her maiden US Open title in 1999, which was also her first Grand Slam singles title. She won the US Open again in 2002 and 2008, before clinching three straight titles in 2012-14.

The 2022 US Open is Williams’ last chance to equal Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles.