Serena Williams and Roger
Federer are arguably the best female and male tennis players to ever play the
game. At 32, both Serena and Roger have accomplished just about everything during
their illustrious careers. Each has won 17 grand slam titles, an Olympic gold
medal, and amassed a combined $134,854,393 in prize money. As Serena and Roger
approach the twilight of their careers, every tennis lover is wondering, “How
do they stay motivated after such long careers;” and “How many more grand slam
titles can Serena and Roger win?” In this two-part series, I will be discussing
the prospects of Serena and Roger winning additional grand slams titles through
analysis of their current form.
Serena Williams
Grand Slam
Titles
Australian Open: 5 Singles, 4
Doubles
French Open: 2 Singles, 2
Doubles
Wimbledon: 5 Singles, 5
Doubles, 1 Mixed
U.S. Open: 5 Singles, 2
Doubles, 1 Mixed
Olympic Gold Medals: 4 (1
Singles, 3 Doubles)
Career Prize Money:
$54,637,766 (as of 3/3/14)
Ever since Serena Williams
returned from a life-threatening pulmonary embolism in 2011, she has been pretty
much unstoppable. During this period, Serena has a win/loss record of 167-13
(92.7 win %), winning 21 singles titles including an Olympic gold medal and four
grand slam titles, and has regained the number one ranking. Based on these
results, one can argue that Serena is playing better now than when she won the
“Serena Slam” back in 2002-2003.
There are two reasons why I
believe Serena has been able to play at such a high level even at this stage in
her career. The first is her dedication to fitness. Following her round of 16
loss at Wimbledon in 2011, Serena hired renowned fitness expert Mackie
Shilstone, who has trained everyone from baseball legend Darryl Strawberry to
Broadway sensation Jennifer Holiday. The benefits of this decision were
immediate for Serena, as she went 18-1, winning titles in Stanford and Toronto,
and making it to the U.S. Open final.
The second, and most likely cause
for Serena’s impressive form over the past few seasons is due to what I
consider “the best loss of her career.” Going into the 2012 French Open, Serena
made it her mission to finally win the major that had eluded her for a decade. Serena
was undefeated on clay coming into the tournament, winning titles in Charleston
and Madrid. However, Serena’s first-round loss was one that shocked the tennis
world. Never before had Serena lost in the opening round of a major. After the
loss, most people, including myself, were thinking, “Can Serena win another
major?”
Shortly after the French Open,
Serena began training at the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy just outside of Paris.
Still reeling from the loss, Serena would be assisted by the academy’s founder,
Patrick Mouratoglou. A friendship that started as casual conversations while training
soon became a partnership that sparked Serena’s return to the top of women’s
tennis. When Serena stepped onto the hallowed lawns of Wimbledon, just three
short weeks after her French Open loss, I noticed much more resolve in her
game. During their time together, Mouratoglou has taught Serena patience, and
how to win a point without having to hit through opponents. The change in
Serena’s game at Wimbledon was only the beginning of her transformation into a
more complete player. Serena ended 2012 with 2 grand slam titles, 2 Olympic
gold medals, the season-ending WTA Championships, and losing just once after
the French Open.
If Serena is to continue
winning grand slam titles, there are two things to consider: her health, and
her motivation. Throughout Serena’s career, she has been plagued with injuries
that have sidelined her for long periods of time. As she plays well into her
thirties, it will become increasingly difficult to stay healthy. Fortunately
for Serena, her incredibly high fitness level in recent years has prevented her
from missing any serious time on tour. However, several of the losses she sustained
in the past two and a half years have been because of injury. For example, in
the last three Australian Opens, which Serena has failed to advance past the
quarterfinals, Serena was nursing ankle and back injuries. In order to continue
winning grand slam titles, Serena must preserve her body as much as possible.
After having played the
better part of two decades on the WTA Tour, and accomplishing as much as Serena
has, I begin to wonder how much motivation does Serena have to continue
competing? Serena has won the career grand slam twice; she has won every
premier mandatory event on the WTA Tour; and is tied with her sister Venus for
the most gold medals ever won by a tennis player. The only prize Serena is
playing for at this point in her career is history. To put things into
perspective, Serena is fourth in the Open-Era (sixth all-time), in grand slam
titles. In order to pass Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova in major titles,
Serena will need to win two majors; however, to pass Steffi Graf she will need
to win six. With Serena committed to playing through the Rio Olympics in 2016,
she will have 10 more chances to add to her historic grand slam tally. Despite
my huge admiration for Serena Williams, I think it will be incredibly difficult
for her to surpass Steffi Graf Open-Era record 22 major titles. Saying Serena
retires after the next Olympics, she would have to win 60% of the majors she
plays in. In her career, Serena has made 54 major appearances, winning 31.5% of
them. Ever since Serena returned to the tour in 2011, she has had a renewed
love for the game. In order for Serena to continue her ascent up the all-time
grand slam titles list, she must retain the motivation that has help her
achieve so much success on the WTA Tour.
Can Serena Williams win more
grand slams titles? My answer is a resounding YES! Based on her current form, Serena
is capable of winning on any surface. Serena has proven that even at this stage
of her career she can make improvements to her game. However, as she continues
to get older, Serena will have to manage her health to achieve optimum
performance, as well as continue to play with the fiery passion that she is
famous for. For the time being, Serena Williams’s motto should be 17 majors and
counting.
How many more majors do you
think Serena Williams can win? Please let me know in the comments section
below.
In my next blog, I will discuss
Roger Federer chances of winning additional titles.
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