‘If She Ever Reaches Her Potential…’ – Martina Navratilova Firmly Believed in a Young Serena Williams Surpassing Her Records

Former Czechoslovakian-American player Martina Navratilova is arguably one of the best to have ever played the sport. Over the years, she has praised both Venus and Serena Williams multiple times, particularly the younger Williams’ sister.  

Even though Navratilova retired in 2006, she never faced either of the Williams Sisters in a singles match on the main tour. In an interview back in the day, Navratilova talked about facing Serena in her prime and she gave an interesting answer. 

Martina Navratilova talked about playing against Serena Williams

In 2003, the 18-time Grand Slam champion Martina Navratilova talked about women’s tennis and the impact both Venus and Serena Williams had on the tour. “I think women’s tennis is in relatively good shape. But it would be much better if we saw more of Venus and Serena. Our two biggest stars in the game haven’t played since July. That’s a real shame. The Williams girls compete extremely hard on court because they hate losing – it’s just that they haven’t played an awful lot of tennis over the years,” Navratilova said. 

When asked about playing against Serena in the 80s, she said, “I would certainly win some matches… but so would she. It’s real tough to say who would win more. I think if she ever reaches her potential she could be better than I was – but tennis is about so much more than just pure ability. Serena is still learning about the game. A lot depends on how much she wants to stretch herself.”

Read More: ‘She Scared Me’- Harmony Tan Opens Up About Playing Against the Legendary Serena Williams

Notably, Navratilova retired from tennis in 1994 momentarily. After that, both Venus and Serena made their professional debut on the tour. Despite coming back in 2000, Navratilova never got a chance to play either of the Williams Sisters. Then, in 2006, Navratilova announced her retirement from the tour, at the age of 50. 

The numbers of Navratilova and Serena

In terms of numbers on the tennis court, no man or woman can come close to Navratilova’s incredible record. In her entire career, she won a total number of 2189 matches, the most by any player. Along with her 18 Grand Slam titles, she won 31 doubles titles and 10 mixed doubles titles; a total of 59 Major titles.

Watch This Story: Martina Navratilova once questioned Serena Williams’ bizarre Wimbledon retirement 

On the other hand, Serena has won 23 Major titles in her career so far, just one short of Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles. She also won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles, all with her sister Venus; she has also won 2 mixed doubles as well. While Serena may not have the overall numbers of Navratilova, many consider her the greatest ever while others still argue that Navratilova was the greatest all-around player the game has ever seen.

Who do you think is the GOAT between Navratilova and Serena? Let us know in the comments.