“It’s About That Number”: Tennis Great Believes Serena Williams Will Equal Margaret Court

Tennis, like every other sport in the world, went on an unexpected break in March due to the coronavirus pandemic. Now, the sport is returning to the court after almost five months. The USTA is organizing two tournaments to give tennis the ideal opportunity to return. The Western and Southern Open has already begun and the U.S. Open will soon grace the courts on August 31.

However, a handful of players are not playing in the tournaments because of safety concerns and travel hazards. The defending U.S. Open champions Rafael Nadal and Bianca Andreescu along with Roger Federer, Ashleigh Barty, and Simona Halep. have opted to not take part.

Despite the withdrawal of many, World No. 1 Novak Djokovic and 23 times Grand Slam winner Serena Williams are playing in both competitions. Serena is out of the Western and Southern Open after losing to the 13th seed Maria Sakkari. She is now focusing entirely on winning her record 24th Grand Slam title. After a five month hiatus, will that be easy?

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A tennis legend weighs in on Serena Williams’ US Open chances

In a recent interview, 18 time Grand Slam winner Martina Navratilova talked about Serena Williams’ chances at the U.S. Open, especially without a crowd.

Navratilova said, “For Serena Williams, maybe a bit of a handicap in that she thrives on the crowd getting on her side, as they have been so vocal the last few years. Now she won’t have that. She’s such a self-starter anyway, she motivates herself. And all the champions are very self-motivated, but the crowd definitely helps, especially when things aren’t going their way.”

“I think Serena just wants that record regardless of any G.O.A.T. status,” she added. “For her, it’s about that number. Now she’s got a great chance with the U.S. Open with a smaller field obviously. At the same time, she likes to feed off the energy from the crowd—and that won’t be there.”

The record in question is Williams’ 24th title. If she wins this one, she will tie with Margaret Court for the most Grand Slam titles won by any player. Williams played in the finals of four of the last seven majors. However, victory slipped through her hands on every occasion, including last year in New York, where she lost to Bianca Andreescu.

Like the rest of the world, Navratilova too is hoping for some thrilling matches in the Flushing Meadows. The U.S. Open starts on 31 August at the USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Centre.