Williams has nine total singles tournament wins in 2013. She
has four Grand Slam singles titles since 2012 and six (count them…SIX) in the
last four calendar years. She has also been a Grand Slam singles runner-up four
times in her career, last at the 2011 U.S. Open, twice losing a Grand Slam
Final to her older sister, Venus Williams.
 |
| Williams, right, rubbed out the next best player on the planet, Azarenka, left. That drop-off from #1 to #2 looks steep at the moment! 1 |
IT DOESN’T TAKE A ROCKET SCIENTIST
Nine days out of ten, this blog will comment on one of the
five following categories of sports: the NFL, the NBA, MLB, college football,
and college basketball. I am not a tennis enthusiast. I am a casual fan at
best. I’ve taken a few whacks at ball with a racket with friends at
recreational facilities.
I couldn’t tell you any of the technical strategies in the
game. I know the names of most of the past greats of the last 30 years but
could not rattle off one defining moment by the year and event. Regarding
tennis, I probably fit the profile of the typical American sports fan. Like
you, I am a fan of sports and, probably like you, I am captivated by
excellence.
My garden-variety sports fan knowledge is significant
because even to guys like me, the resume of Serena Williams, who turns 32 at
the end of this month, is staggering. Noticing her overpowering dominance of
her sport is unavoidable. Williams’ run of the last two years has vaulted her
into the discussion about the greatest women’s tennis player(s) of all-time.
 |
| Maria sharapova: another one bites the dust at this year's French Open. 2 |
WHEN WILL IT STOP?
In a sport whose superstars are most dominant around age 25,
Serena has been on the “wrong side” of that milestone. It makes her vanquishing
of very formidable opponents, like the 24-year-old Azarenka, more spectacular.
In a sport nearly void of American stars (especially among the men) and
dominated by Eastern Europeans, Williams has kept the Red, White, and Blue at
the top of the tennis mountain.
Among the Big Two country club sports, golf and tennis, much
of the media attention has been focused on Woods, who is dominating all of the
tournaments except for the big ones. If I never hear about Woods chasing down
Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 major tournament wins before Woods actually wins
another major tournament, it will be too soon. Meanwhile, Williams probably
need to expand her trophy room if she continues to perform anywhere near the
level at which she has throughout this decade.
Williams is currently sixth all-time among women’s tennis
players for Grand Slam tournaments won (fourth all-time since the open era
began in 1968), one short of International Tennis Hall of Famers Chris Evert
and Martina Navratilova. Margaret Court is the all-time leader at 24 and Steffi
Graf is the all-time Open Era leader at 22. I see nothing short of a
debilitating injury to preclude Williams from eclipsing all of these
milestones. Excellence in sports goes beyond the numbers, but should Williams
play for another five years and win Grand Slam titles at the pace at which see
has done so over the last four year, she would surpass Court with room to spare
(Roger Federer is the men’s all-time leader with 17 Grand Slam singles titles).
 |
| Agnieszka Radwanska got the plate from the kiddie table at Wimbledon in 2012. 3 |
LAST NAME “EVER”, FIRST NAME “GREATEST”?
Taking athleticism, longevity, and winning into account, I
do not think it is too soon to begin debating whether or not Williams is the
greatest women’s player of all-time. People with more tennis knowledge than I
have could craft compelling arguments for either side. Williams is in a rare
position for an all-time great American athlete in any sport: she has an opportunity
to erase any reasonable doubts.
 |
| Serena Williams vs Seffi Graf? Sports fans don't have a time machine, but most of us can count. That torch might be passed without argument. 4 |
To advertise with The Daily Hat Trick, or to submit a guest column, please contact the editor at eric@thedailyhattrick.info.
The Daily Hat Trick is sponsored by Sports N Stuff. For great deals on jerseys, shirts, cologne, and other guy stuff, visit http://www.sportsnstuff.biz/.
1) Image from http://espn.go.com
2) Image from www.sportingnews.com
3) Image from www.thenews.pl
4) Image from www.ilovethissport.com
