Serena Williams is the ultimate GOAT over Steffi Graf and Margaret Court for three reasons according to American coach Rick Macci… See More…
Serena Williams grew up in Compton, where she and her older sister Venus learned to play tennis on gritty public courts under the strict watch of their father, Richard. But both sisters now belong to the world, so dramatically have they changed their sport while making it better and more inclusive.
Serena has won more titles than her sister has, though she unfailingly credits Venus with leading the way along the unlikely path that two quiet but eager youngsters to become majestic Grand Slam champions.
They automatically defied the norm by being black in a largely white sport. Serena also flouted the norm with a muscular physique that puts thunder into her serve. She has used her power and presence to win 23 Grand Slam singles titles, one short of matching Margaret Court’s record. She won her last major at the 2017 Australian Open while she was in the early weeks of pregnancy with her daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr.
Williams has attained that rare level of fame where she’s known by her first name alone. It’s whispered by worshipful young women who took up the sport because they saw a successful athlete who looked like them, and voiced respectfully by casual fans and rivals. “What she does and what she achieved, it’s something unbelievable,” Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina said after Williams routed her 6-3, 6-1 in a semifinal of the 2019 U.S. Open.
Because her career winnings exceed $92.7 million (more than double those of the runner-up, her sister Venus) and she fights for equitable pay for female tennis players, Williams has transcended the confines of the court, a truth she firmly rejects.
“I would be pontificating to a level I wouldn’t even know to say I’m a superstar,” she said during the 2019 U.S. Open. “Obviously, I’m just Serena. I don’t try to be anybody else. I don’t try to be famous. I don’t try to be anything.”
