Why Serena Williams is the real world number one

She went into depression John. I can imagine her father was her closest friend and support and he was ill with cancer which would leave her from being taken care and protected by father to the caretaker role and the psychological effects of the attack had a major effect on her. Scars heal but psychological ones can take years to heal. The only helping hand and protecter was sick from a disease that can be horrible to witness due to the pain and suffering cancer patients go through. So she was alone for first time and she wasn't really prepared for that. Her dad always protected her when she was younger and she moved to a new country which by itself can be difficult due cause of the culture shock. Graff had to look after herself since young age so she was more mentally prepared and a bit harder. But you must also remember girls at 16 is the time when their bodies have the most change and their muscles develop. At that stage they improve the most in their athletic abilities. The swimming is a very good example of it and you will see them improve their personal massively in such periods. Often people or the ill informed would ask questions about banned substances like with the Chinese swimmer.

repeat post

http://www.tmz.com/2011/11/02/serena-williams-panic-room-drug-test-urine/ Yep and the crazy thing is that you expect the drug tester to test her when the whole thing was cleared up or the day after. However records shows she received zero out of competition that year. http://www.itftennis.com/media/136638/136638.pdf Look down at her name and you'll fine Out of competition test to be blank So her plan of calling the police worked as she didn't give a sample that year

Yes, Serena plays in the modern era, which also means she has advantages those other players didn't have, such as better technology, superior science etc..... Ultimately, the modern era argument only goes so far. Not to mention that while the depth may be better during Serena's era (debatable), there are arguably less great players during her era than there was during the eras of the other players. "But the ability to exploit her game is easier now as opponents can find out more about her game than in the 70′s and 80′s." Not necessarily true. Considering the number of times Navratalova and Evert went up against each other, you dont think they had the ability to exploit each other's game? Anyway, my point is that you can't make a blanket statement like that when it is just your opinion.

Serena, amazonfan has had to play in the modern era, and the depths bigger, . Players like Daria Safina, Ana Ivanovic, Jelana Jankovic,Maresmo,Sharapova, Kitavova, Venus Williams, Hingis, Kournakova,Schiavone,Molik, Dokic, Stosur, Li Na, Azarenka, yet she is still no 1 at 31. Evert and Navratalova had Evon Cawley, and a fading Billy Jean King to deal with, and mid range players like Sukova, wendy Turnbull, Hanna Manlakova,. A young Steffu Graf emerged but Evert and Navratalova were ageing. But the week to week depth is better now, the top 30 women are vastly superior now to the top 30 women say 1970-95. The difference between rank no 25 and rank no 5 in 1980 or 1990, was big. Not anymore the gap is closing. So each match is more energy sapping for Serena. Plus the video technology. Opponents now can do video analysis and work out Serena's strengths and weaknesses. Equally she has access to the same technology , so that evens itself out. But the ability to exploit her game is easier now as opponents can find out more about her game than in the 70's and 80's.

I would dispute that, so perhaps next time you want to make a black & white statement like that, you can place it in the form of an opinion. Personally, I would place Evert, Graf, & Navratalova all above Serena. This reminds me of when you wrote that it was determined that Kallis was a better all-rounder than Sobers (!), when it was just your opinion. You think that Kallis was better than Sobers/Serena is the best since 1970, fine. But don't pretend that your opinion is anything more than that.

grafs overall record is vastly superior

Neuen good points. At the end of the day in sport, when all is said and done, the word or phrase hypotheticals comes up." We can all live in hypotheticals" but it is what it is , things happen good and bad, and the athlete has to deal with the cards there dealt. And some will have tougher challenges others less, and unless we experienced it, hard to say who suffers, But some reality check. I have just read the basic medical report on Seles injury, and no nerves were damaged etc. In other words the injury healed 100% all done within 4 weeks, it was the mental scares that lingered. And here dad got sick but he didn't die until 1998 apparently. Like I said before if it happened later in here career around 24-28 plus 28-32 she would of shaken of the incident faster. The point is other athletes have had far bigger injuries, than Seles's stabbed shoulder 1.5cm deep. That cut, people have deeper cuts when they are undergoing surgery, than 1.5cm. Doctors in her medical reports said she would be physically fine in 4 weeks, which she was physically. But here are some examples of adversity. Larry Bird back injury was so bad for the last 7even years doctors said to quit or he could be put in a wheelchair, he had to have agonising amounts of physic every day just to play for the last 7evens years of his career. Could hardly walk some days. Micheal Jordan suffered a shocking foot injury in 1985 he broke it, and missed most of the season about 64 games and came back better, he just worked really hard in the rehab it was agonising. Watched a doco on micheals rehab he just worked and worked. Tim Horan suffered an awful knee injury in 94, and spent over 1 year in rehab to get back, despite doctors advising he should retire. And many other athletes have lost parents. Larry Bird was 23 when his dad committed suicide, and all they were a poor family but close and dirt poor, he fought back just rolled his sleeves up and kept going. Larry Bird got in a NBA fight and was held back and punched twice in the face , he just got on with it. So soem examples of people who had far more physical trauma to deal with, and along with that comes the mental side of things. Maybe Monica Seles was a bit weak mentally, but my point is many of the champions have came back from adversity. Majic johnson was diagnosed with HIV, 8 months later he had the courage, and motivation and could switch on and play for the dream team in 1992, when he could of just called it quits, and not be put through all the media pressure. So Monica Seles maybe if she was older i reckon she would of bounced back better,. She was overweight when she came back and never really lost it. Interestingly now she is very slim, post playing.

John I totally agree with you there. Well put. Seles didn't lose power just she battle depression and picked up lots of weight. She looked a bit chubby when she came back. I don't know if she tried to build muscle as her shoulders looked a bit broader as well. Modern tennis players seem to spent lot of times on trying to get broad shoulders for power. Dunno if you can remember what Mauresmo did to Graff the one year. She powered her of the court and for less tones skinnier woman from the old era that was a bit overwhelming. Now technology balls training is so much different than back then and it would really be wrong to compare Billy Jean King or Martina to modern day power players. At times when I saw Serena I thought Emile Heskey was playing tennis! But talking about players from yester year my favorite was Goran Ivenisivic or how ever you spell it. Serving missiles and it was great to see him win a grandslam as if there was any who deserved it it was him.

Seles was 5 years younger too Neuen. So she was probably less mature. But also I agree she was probably mentally weaker. Graff had a tough childhood, and her father's problem. And was 5 years older. Seles had to deal with the stabbing she was born in December 1973 it happened around june so was 19 and a half.. If that hypothetically happened to Graff at the same time Graff would of been 24, far more older and mature to deal with such an incident. The stabbing happened in 1993 I just found out on the net, Ironically in Hamburg Germany by a crazed Steffi Graf fan. I think at 19 would of been much tougher than if that happened to Graff hypothetically at 24. But in saying that mental toughness is an issue, and Graff did have an awful childhood, and a very difficult father, and an obsessed German paparazzi hounding Graf everywhere she went . Graf was manually very tough no doubt about it. The key is as well is how much power did Seles lost in her shoulder, I don't know. Seles did win 1 final Grand slam in 1996 at the Australian open. So Seles being born in December 1973, and the OZ open being in January 1996, was on just turned 22, hardly old or, past it. Maybe Seles was a predictable player, and as the game changed more , she could be exposed , Graf had a better all round game, and could volley too, when Volleying still had a little bit of value.

Johnno it works both ways. Its all about keeping a cool head. Seles was young but like Hingis they falter under pressure which is mostly off the court incidents. Seles had death threats even before the stabbing as she was from a country torn up in war and mass killings. Graff kept her head in the game even with off the court incidents like her dads tax evasion but Seles and many others couldn't do that. That is why one had a long career stretching over a decade filled with grand slams and the other a period of dominance of 2 to 3 years

Seles beat a 35 yrd old grass court specialist in Navrataolva in 92 to make that wimbeldon final, and had to work hard winning 3 sets, and Graff beat Sabatini in 2 sets in the semi, so Seles also had the tougher semi-final.

Neuen if one factor is in Graf's favour even before the stabbing was surfaces. Graf had it hands down over Seles. Would Seles of ever got good at grass like Andre Agassi got better and won in 1992, we will never know. It was Seles least favourite surface. Federer is better on clay than Seles is on grass. Seles was so young when the stabbing happened only 20, so still had yodels of time to get good on grass if the stabbing never happened. But it did so we will never know. Graf won 6-2 6-1 in 1992 at wimbledon over Seles. But on clay and hard court, it was Monica Seles. Mind you what has to be put into context in that match was, there was 2 and a halve hours worth of rain delays, and who knows what happen in rain delays. Rain delays are strange things, and can help or hinder a player. Think Tim Henman vs Ivanesivic, Tim Henman 2 sets to 1 up, had him on the rack 5-4 up in the 4th set then the rain came,.ineven Rafter vs Sampras, Rafter won the 1st set then a rain delay happened and Sampras found his groove. So Graf got 2 and a half hours with of rain delays in that wimbledon final, and a rain delay is like a penalty shoot out it can go either way, and there was some crucial moments when the rain delays happened. And the rain delays were split into 2 rain delays. 1 was for 40 minutes, then the next was for 1 hour 45 minute. And back then on grass , with the grass technology not as good then, the ball would of been all over the place too, and Graf was more athletic, around the court, so this would of favoured her to nullify Seles power, as the court would of been playing all sorts of tricks. So we will never know if Seles would of been like Nadal or Agassi and got decent on grass.

Before she got fat IMO

Grand slam finals before the stabbing . Seles 3-1

She wasn't out for 3 years due to the stabbing. Like I said the stabbing healed within a couple of months, She had a dying father and US citizenship that needed her attention.

I have to agree with you this time, Johnno, although any of the top 5 women you have chosen have claims for the No. 1 spot. Seles was at her peak and No. 1 when she was stabbed and that is one of the great tragedies in sport - who knows how much longer she could have competed at that level, but she never got to those heights again (even if she won the AO) and I loved the double handed style on both sides.

All time record Graf 10 seles 5

Maybe it was that grunt that tickled his fancy