“Crushing, Dominating”: Former Doubles Champion Reflects on Serena Williams’ Best Performance

The American legend, Serena Williams, was forced to retire at the Wimbledon Championships this year due to an injury mid-match. She is yet to announce her comeback to the WTA tour. Back home with family, Serena has been actively engaging in off-court activities and is spending quality time with daughter, Olympia.

A highlight reel of the legend’s career could go on for hours and hours. Former Doubles Champion Mary Joe Fernandez recently talked about her personal favorite moment from Serena’s iconic career.

Mary Joe Fernandez reminisces the epic run of Serena Williams at 2012 London Olympics

In a recent episode of ‘The GOAT: Serena’ podcast, hosts Rubin and Garrison were joined by former American doubles grand slam champion, Mary Joe Fernandez.

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Talking about Serena’s epic gold-medal win at the 2012 London Olympics, Mary Joe Fernandez felt that it was the best tennis Serena has every played.

“That memory of the 2021 Olympics, I feel like it’s the best tennis I’ve ever seen her play. She was crushing it, dominating”, Mary said.

“She was so in the zone”- Mary on Serena’s form in 2012 Olympics

Even before the Olympics, Serena had a tremendous run at the Wimbledon Championships, winning both the singles and doubles titles (along with Venus Williams). These back-to-back victories of Serena Williams in London were considered one of the best win streaks ever by a tennis player.

Mary continued, “It was just like unstoppable. There was nothing anybody could do. She was so, so good. She was so in the zone. That was fun to be a part of that, to watch that kind of brilliance”. 

Williams won the gold medal against rival Maria Sharapova and looked absolutely overjoyed with her victory, as she couldn’t stop jumping and dancing.

Over the past two decades, Serena Williams has had a huge impact on other WTA players, even some who have gone on to face her on the tour. Irrespective of whether the American gets to her 24th slam title or not, her legacy stands tall in women’s tennis.

Also read: “Don’t Think Serena Has Gotten Over It”: Former Champion Reflects on Maria Sharapova’s First-Ever Victory Over Serena Williams