Is Serena Williams the Best Woman Athlete of All Time?

August 24, 2015

I don't know why this needs an answer, but it raises the discussion of the criteria for such a title? I pondered this question and racked my memory to find the candidates, and I believe that Serena Williams should be considered. She certainly won enough hardware and awards to fill up a museum wing, but what else?

With the upcoming US Open at the end of August, Williams enters as the Number one player in the world and looking to win her fourth Grand Slam Event this year and fifth in a row. This is unchartered ground for women's tennis, and not even Steffi Graff pulled this off.

What makes this run of dominance incredible is the fact that she is 33 years old. No other woman tennis player won as much as she has after thirty; make that any man as well. She is closing in on the record for Grand Slam victories, she currently is at 21, and Graff owns 24. She could win the most before she calls it quits.

So, does this warrant her as the most outstanding women's athlete of all time? Let's break this down a little. Williams is dominating at the age of 33 in a large international field of great women players. She is the best in her sport. Her playing style is a power game, exemplified in her serve, where she dominates her opponents. She is incredibly agile and quick for a woman of her size. She is 5' 9" and adorning an incredible muscular physique. Williams battled through countless injuries and plays impaired with unknown ailments and still perseveres and wins.

You might be able to find a complete athlete, like an Olympian decathlete or a WNBA player but have they dominated for such a long time? The only other women I can think of are; Kerri Walsh, the volleyball player, Babe Dickerson, the multi-sport athlete of the thirties, or Jackie Joyner Kersey, the great track star. When people break down athletic qualities, the argument is convoluted with criteria, but I still come back to skill level, overall physical dominance, resiliency, and accomplishments. Serena fills the bill for me, right here, right now, in the world of women's sports.