She immediately shot back: “I prefer the word ‘one of the greatest athletes of all time’.”
Will she be placed alongside Ali and Federer in that discussion in 20 years’ time? Maybe not. There have been several eloquent arguments that racism and misogyny are at work here, but my view is that her greatest hindrance has been the lack of a sustained rivalry.
Her elder sister, Venus, has been her most consistent challenger but has not beaten Serena in a grand slam since the 2008 Wimbledon final. Her record (19-2) is so one sided against Maria Sharapova, the other face of women’s tennis, that the American press call it the “unrivalry”. None of this is Williams’ fault but her numbers will always lack that added resonance that the competition of Nadal et al conferred upon Federer.