Former Doubles Legend Recollects How She Was Astounded By Serena Williams in Their 1st Encounter

In the women’s game, there have not been many players who have been as dominant as Serena Williams. The American superstar has transformed the game into hard-hitting groundstrokes. The serve that she possesses can give the men a run for their money. 

Recently, Pam Shriver spoke on Serena Williams. She remembered her first encounter with the 23-time Grand Slam champion. Pam herself has been a multi-time Grand Slam doubles champion during her career. Shriver met Williams for the first time at her charity event in Baltimore. 

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The 59-year-old stated, “I actually had the William sisters come up to Baltimore for my charity tennis event. We did like a sibling match and I asked Richard if they would stay on after the exhibition event which was only one night. So they stayed for a few days and we practiced together.”

Serena Williams was one of a kind

The former doubles specialist met the entire Williams clan. Richard Williams and her daughters Serena and Venus were there. When she first had a knock with Serena, she was appalled by the power she (Serena) possessed. Over the years, Pam has come across many players but to see Serena, a 12-year-old at that point in time, execute her shots with such force was extraordinary. 

The former doubles Olympic gold medalist further added, “I hit with Serena and I was quite astounded by the power. At that point in time, she had very little control but I was like this is something else. I remember playing with people in my age group but it was never a 12-year-old who had that kind of power.”

As we speak about Williams, she has not been featured in any event since the Wimbledon Championships. She twisted her ankle during the opening round match and had to withdraw midway. We hope to see her back on the tennis courts soon.  

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