Serena Williams’ name has become synonymous with winning.
She’s known for her power and her passion. She’s revered for a never-say-die demeanor that reflects her internal inability to accept defeat. And, of course, she’s known for making history.
History has followed Serena for several years now. Maybe more accurately, she’s been writing her own history – breaking records as easily as she has redefined the game. The 22-time Grand Slam women’s singles champion rarely looks ahead when she’s in the public eye. She's often shied away from talking about an upcoming milestone, instead only offering an insight once that goal has been reached and the focus has already been shifted to the next target on the list.
“I definitely had some sleepless nights, if I'm just honest, with a lot of stuff,” Serena said after winning Wimbledon in June to match Steffi Graf's Open era record of 22 Grand Slam tournament titles. “Coming so close. Feeling it, not being able to quite get there.”
And so it goes for the 34-year-old, who has been in the sport for two decades and in the limelight since capturing her first Grand Slam title at the US Open 17 years ago.
At this year’s US Open, the main storyline will again focus on the sport’s most dominant athlete, who was on the cusp of a different type of history on these grounds 12 months ago. Serena was two wins away from achieving for first calendar-year slam since 1988, having won the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon earlier in the year. A victory in New York would also have tied Graf’s record of 22 major titles. But a stunning loss to Roberta Vinci in the semifinals ended her shot at both records – temporarily, at least.
Grand Slam No. 22 was put on hold by Angelique Kerber in Melbourne and then again by Garbiné Muguruza in Paris. It was the first time Serena had lost back-to-back finals in her career.
But a win at Wimbledon gave her that elusive 22nd title and set the table for the potential of even more history in Flushing Meadows just a few weeks from now.
“Definitely so excited to win Wimbledon,” Serena said. “You know, that's always a great feeling. But maybe even more so is the excitement of getting 22, you know, trying so hard to get there, finally being able to match history, which is pretty awesome.”
After matching history, now she can make history.
The biggest milestone, of course, is the one only made possible at Wimbledon – the 23rd Grand Slam singles crown. A win inside Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sept. 10 would give Serena more major titles than anyone in the Open era and leave her just one shy of Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24, set 43 years ago at the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills.
It would also represent her seventh US Open singles title, passing Chris Evert for sole possession of the most in the Open era. That would leave her one short of Molla Mallory’s all-time record of eight, set between 1915 and 1926. Neither Court, nor Graf, nor Evert have won seven titles at two different majors, so another win in New York would set seven-time Wimbledon champion Serena further from her peers.
Should Serena reach the quarterfinals, she will also break Roger Federer’s record for the most Grand Slam match wins of all time. Federer broke Martina Navratilova’s 12-year mark of 306 wins at Wimbledon earlier this summer, but with Federer out for the remainder of the year due to a knee injury, a run to the second week will see Serena take control of this record.
Continued success would also extend Serena’s record of consecutive weeks at No. 1 to 187 – the last time she wasn’t top of the rankings was February 2013 – and with 310 total weeks at the top, it would also pull her closer to the two women above her in the all-time list: Graf (377) and Navratilova (332).
That success comes with a pretty large financial reward, too.
Back in 1973, Court’s US Open title marked the first time men and women earned the same amount of prize money at a Slam, a topic that remains a talking point today and of which Serena has been vocal in her support. Court took home $25,000 for her triumph, her 24th and final major title. Should Serena emerge victories this year with her 72nd career WTA title and 23rd major, she will earn $3.5 million. That would take her career prize money past $84 million, extending her advantage as the highest-earning female tennis player in the world. No other woman has even half that amount of career earnings.
Yet for all the history and records on the line, Serena remains steadfastly focused on the task at hand.
“I learned not to get involved in those debates and conversations,” said Serena, whose 768 match wins are the fifth most in WTA history. “I just learned to just play tennis. That's what I do best.”
