When the majestic Margaret Court hung up her racquet in 1975 owning 24 Slam singles crowns, the general consensus was no-one will ever break that record.
Until powerhouse Serena Williams burst onto the scene in 1998.
She will take on Angelique Kerber in the Wimbledon final tomorrow where success will see her equal the Australian’s record.
But they have come from two very different eras.
Margaret started her career in 1959 when tennis was totally amateur, with professionals barred from competing in Slams.
When the sport eventually turned pro in 1968, Margaret kept on her winning ways.
When Serena played her first Slam in 1998 the sport eas in full flight with professionalism, very quickly making the American a multi-millionaire.
Their statistics in Slams aren’t far apart.
Margaret won 210 and lost 23 Slam matches between 1959 and 1975 for a 90,12 per cent success rate, while Serena has won 325 and lost 43 for 88.31 per cent success.
The big difference were the rugged travel experiences in Margaret’s career.
In the 50s and 60s, to fly from Los Angeles to Sydney was a prohibitive cost to amateurs, plus a very rough, long, and often dangerous trip.
As a result many American women, among the best in the world, gave the Australian Championship the flick to concentrate on the French, Wimbledon, and US.
That played right into Margaret’s court, winning 11 of her 24 at the Australian.
Margaret Court’s Slam record
Australian – won 11 from 14 starts.
French – 5/10.
Wimbledon – 3/12.
US – 5/11.
That makes a total of 24 Slams from 47 starts, with the highlight capturing the singles Grand Slam in 1970.
Serena Williams’ reply:
Australian – 7/17.
French: 3/10.
Wimbledon – 7/17.
US – 6/17.
The total – 23 Slams from 61 starts.
Serena also has her eyes on winning the most golden and coveted Wimbledon Plates.
Serena’s won seven with Steffi Graf, trailing Martina Navratilova’s nine, and Helen Wills Moody’s eight.
Which makes Serena’s seeding of 25 this year, returning after the birth of her first child, arguably the most absurd decision in Wimbledon’s long history as the home of tennis.
It hasn’t worried Serena one scrap.
Tomorrow she will be the one to beat with history beckoning.
Molly’s Hatchet
Guest
So because she doesn’t agree with you on a particular issue makes her an “awful human being” ? I would suggest that , that in fact makes you a bigot.
CJ
Guest
Williams has played in an era where there has been no consistently great No 2 to challenge her or even a consistent No 2 at all, like Agassi to Sampras. One would think that in this era there would be more rivalries like Graf and Seles or Navratilova and Evert or Court and King. Don't know why that is the case. Anyway, Court was a great champion - she still holds the record number of singles slams, let alone her record of mixed doubles and doubles.
Marcus
Guest
For the record, 11 of Margaret Court's majors came in the open era.
Simoc
Guest
Serena Williams is a great champion and a great person and Margaret Court is neither. Court won in the non professional tennis era when competition was sparse.
ForwardsWinMatches
Guest
Go Angelique! Frankly, I find Serena one of the least “appealing” - in the broad sense - tennis players I can recall. The leading men seem, to me, to exhibit the highest standards of behaviour, decorum and respect for those who have played the game and for those who watch it. Serena is a great of the game, but that’s where the comparison ends as far as I am concerned. And, your dig at Margaret Court is unwarranted.
Christo the Daddyo
Guest
Hopefully Williams won't end up turning into a awful human being in her post-playing life!
Buk
Guest
Great achievement, & great longevity, especially with the emergence of tennis in Eastern Europe. I seem to recall Margaret Court had at least 3 or 4 children & retired at about 35, so another factor that makes it hard to compare, besides the travel issues. The other biggie was Steffi Graf who at one point was seriously threatening the record, but I think retired at about 30.