"Serena Williams: Love Her, Hate Her, She's the Best Ever", by L. Jon Wertheim, Photographs by Bob Martin,Sports Illustrated (July 12, 2010) Cover Article, 5 Pages, 5 Color PhotographsBased on Serena Williams' 4 Wimbledon singles championships and 13 major singles titles and an overpowering game, Wertheim makes a brief but simple case that Serena is not only the best female player of her generation, but also the best of all-time.
Athleticism, mental toughness, an overwhelming power baseline game and that supreme serve make Serena, argues Wertheim, the favorite to convincingly beat all her top rivals in Grand Slam singles championship history in a hypothetical match: Margaret Court, Helen Wills-Moody, Steffi Graf, Martina Navratiolva and Chris Evert...
An interesting article worth reviewing...
Best, Gary
PS My take on the skills sets of Serena v. her top three modern rivals - Graf, Navratilova and Evert:
Comparing skill sets and who wins:
Serve - Serena
Volley - Martina
Return - Evert
Forehand overall - Steffi
Forehand (Power) - Serena
Backhand - Evert
Backhand (Power) - Serena
Strength/Athleticism - Serena
Mental toughness/Intangibles - Serena
Footspeed on court - Steffi
Consistency of shot-making - Evert
Best overall defense - Evert
Best swinging volley - Serena
Power baseline game - Serena
Best on-court histrionics - Serena
Best intimidation of linesman, umpires - Serena
Final Winner? You decide. I think the odds favor Serena.
Great insight Gary. I would add:
ReplyDeleteBest female role model for young girls learning tennis - anyone BUT Serena
She has propagated the notion that talent can overshadow rudeness. Shame on her.
How about this one:
Best female player to emulate - again, anyone BUT Serena.
Kids learn by example. Perhaps we should focus a little more on a person's overall value to the sport as opposed to their win/loss record. Others before her have been able to win without intimidation or bad behavior.
She is good enough to let her racket do the talking. Then do so.
Thanks for the insights, Ron.
ReplyDeleteOn the positive side, one must also keep in mind that Serena has a foundation to advance education and help kids in Senegal.
http://www.serenawilliams.com/foundation.php
She also donated (and is also raising) $92,000, the same amount she was fined at the US Open last year for her outburst to charities and schools for kids. Her 92k Mission.
http://www.serenawilliams.com/blog_message_detail.php?msg=145