These are both champions, but who is the greatest—Serena Williams or Steffi Graff, or someone else I haven’t mentioned? Steffi Graf is, in my opinion, slightly superior because, as I’ve previously mentioned, she achieved her success at a younger age and because, in my opinion, she played during a period when players were more resilient and consistent. She held the top spot for a record 377 weeks—Djokovic just overtook her.
In addition, she is the only athlete—male or female—to achieve a golden slam, which entails winning an Olympic gold medal in addition to all major slams in a single year. She is also the only player to have at least four victories in every Grand Slam. Serena had a long list of amazing accomplishments as well, but in my perspective, Graf’s achievements were slightly more astounding 😉
Is Serena Williams the all-time greatest female athlete and tennis player? No. She is, in my opinion, the fifth-best tennis player ever, after legends like Court, Navratilova, Connolly, and Evert. Her very one-dimensional, power-based game is the root of my concern. And for ten years, that strength gave her the ability to subjugate competition that was actually rather mediocre. Then, though, some more skilled players emerged who discovered how to modify their style of play to counteract her strength. Her influence started to wane as it became evident that she didn’t really have a backup plan.
There are many outstanding women in other sports who would have a stronger argument for being the best female athlete. Many others have at least a claim, including Elaine Thompson, a double Olympic gold medallist in sprinting, Heather Mckay, the greatest squash player who went 16 years without losing, and Fanny Bankers-Koen, who won four gold medals at the Olympics.
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