Tennis Honors: Serena Williams
Two decades after edging out Graf on court, Williams would edge her out in the Grand Slam race, too.
Against Graf, she showed she could win against anyone. The German was famed for her power, but it was Serena who dominated their rallies. She hammered her two-handed backhand into Graf’s one-handed slice, and closed relentlessly, finishing ahead the winner count 35 to 11.
Serena’s inner monologue was a sign of the times: “I had to keep saying to myself, ‘I’m not going to win at the baseline; no one’s ever won at the baseline.’”
Graf showed her mettle by winning the second set, and going up 4–2 in the third. That would have been enough to demoralize most opponents. Instead, Serena showed her own mettle by winning five of the last six games.
“It means a lot to me, because Steffi is a great champion,” Serena said. “She has more titles, from what I hear, than any man or lady playing tennis.”
That cheeky “from what I hear” is telling: Even as a teen, Serena never allowed herself to be overawed.
It’s also part of the reason why, two decades after edging her out on court, Serena would edge out Graf in the Grand Slam race, too.
