History is expected to be made at the US Open when the first match is played indoors under Ashe Stadium's new roof.
But if the rain never comes to Flushing during the fortnight that begins Monday, the historical rainmaker may turn out to be Serena Williams, gunning to break Steffi Graf's Open-era record by winning her 23rd Grand Slam singles title.
Williams, who tied Graf at Wimbledon with her 22nd title before faltering at the Olympics, was named Tuesday the No. 1 seed, based on WTA rankings. It hasn't been Williams' most glorious year — and she has a bad shoulder. But Williams barely held onto the No. 1 ranking when Angelique Kerber was upset in the finals last weekend in Cincinnati.
Though many pundits already have designated Williams the best women's player ever, legend Billie Jean King, after whom the palatial Flushing complex is named, believes that's premature.
In fact, King regards Margaret Court as having the only Slam record that matters — 24 singles titles — even if just 11 of them came in the Open era (after 1968). Using optics to judge Williams' serve as most lethal ever also is deceiving, according to King, because of drastic technology advances.
"I'd rather wait until she's finished," King told The Post in a phone interview. "[Discounting Court's record] is like saying Babe Ruth doesn't matter. I guess they're just trying to promote [Graf's record]. I think it's fantastic what [Williams] accomplished, and you often talk about the youngest generation being the best ever, but every generation gets better because of technology. The way they train is more sophisticated, the energy drinks, nutrition, the rackets, the strings.''
King still gives the nod to Graf and Martina Navratilova. She notes back in the 1970s not all the players fixated on playing all four Grand Slam events.
"A lot of players didn't care as much about all the majors,'' King said. "Martina didn't play the French and Australian for years. Like in baseball, I think tennis should have asterisks. Steffi, I always considered her the best singles player and Martina best overall player — singles, doubles, mixed doubles.
"Serena is fantastic. If she breaks Steffi's record, then Margaret Court's, OK, but let's take one step at a time. Serena could be the best ever when she's done, and it looks like she could be in time — an amazing athlete who would be great in any sport."
King made fair points but missed two factors — the women's field is much deeper nowadays and Williams' tale is a Cinderella yarn, weaned on cracked courts in Compton, Calif.
Perhaps if Williams, 34, had notched the elusive Grand Slam in 2015 by winning all four majors in the calendar year, her status would be indisputable. No women has achieved it since 1988 when Graf won the Grand Slam. (Graf's achievement is also referred to as the Golden Slam because she snared Olympic gold, too.)
Williams fell two matches shy last September — succumbing in one of the greatest upsets in tennis history when she lost the Open semifinals to afterthought, Roberta Vinci, of Italy. The loss, Williams admitted, put her "in a dark place.'' She didn't play the rest of the year, then failed to win either the Australian or French before prevailing at Wimbledon.
Nevertheless, Williams again stubbed her toe in the third round of the Rio Olympics and withdrew from the Open tune-up in Cincinnati with a shoulder injury.
The odds are in Williams' favor. Of the four previous times she has been the top seed in Flushing, she has won it all. However, Kerber is knocking on the breakthrough door and Monica Puig comes off an Olympic gold.
As for the men's draw, it looked as if the Open again would be the stage for a Grand Slam run, but Novak Djokovic was stunned at Wimbledon by American Sam Querrey. Djokovic, named the top men's seed Tuesday, then was bounced early at the Olympics. Meanwhile, Andy Murray captured another Wimbledon, won Olympic gold and has lots of buzz as the Open's No. 2 seed.
Roger Federer's absence (knee surgery) from Flushing for the first time in 16 years has put a damper on the men's draw, unless one of the young Americans — Taylor Dent, Frances Tiafoe — can make a run. Steve Johnson is the highest-seeded American (19).
"It's astonishing how the narrative in men's tennis could so quickly change from the dominance of Djokovic to the current hot streak of Murray, who you have to say is the Open favorite,'' said tennis historian and author Randy Walker.
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