Will Serena Williams Cruise to the First True Grand Slam in Tennis Since 1988?
By: Jeff McDonough
The 2015 US Open gets under way on this fine Monday morning, with matches starting at 11 a.m. There are a number of interesting storylines involving legendary players heading into the tournament. Novak Djokovic has established himself as clearly the best men’s player on the planet after years of jockeying for position with his fellow members of the “Big Four” of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray. He enters as a heavy favorite and with a win can become just the fifth man ever to win 10+ Grand Slam titles in the Open Era — the “Open Era” began in 1968 when both professionals and amateurs were allowed to play on tour. He would have a chance for a 2015 Grand Slam himself, if Stan Wawrinka hadn’t played the match of his life in the French Open Final to upset Djoker. This “Grand Slam” that I’m referring to consists of winning the four major tournaments of a single season — the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open in succession.
The Bryan Brothers, 37 year-old American twins, are the most dominant duo in the history of men’s tennis, with 16 doubles championships together. They are still the #1 ranked team in the world, but have begun to show their age, having only won one major in the last eight Grand Slam tournaments. If the Bryans don’t win the US Open, they’ll fail to win a single major title in 2015, after having won at least one for 10 consecutive years. In the reamaining doubles draws, Martina Hingis has seen a surprising resurgence this year. Hingis, the 34 year-old Swiss, was a former World No. 1 as a singles player, who won five Grand Slam titles in the late ‘90s, including three of four in a dominant 1997 as a 16 year-old. She, much like Djokovic this year, fell short of the Grand Slam after being upset in the French Open Final. At Wimbledon last month, Hingis impressively won both the women’s and mixed doubles championships. She had earlier in the year won the mixed doubles title at the Australian Open, but that was her first Grand Slam title of any kind since 2006. Hingis, fittingly, is the last person to achieve a Grand Slam, when she won all four women's doubles titles in 1998, but with two different partners. That is to bring attention to the fact here that these storylines are fine and good, but everyone’s eyes will be on Serena Williams.
The real tournament, in the minds of a lot of fans, doesn’t begin until Serena’s match tonight at 7 p.m. at Arthur Ashe Stadium, where she will likely massacre the 86th ranked woman in the world, Vitalia Diatchenko of Russia. That bloodbath, along with the rest of the tournament, can be seen on ESPN2, or online at ESPN3.com. Williams is looking to become the first singles player to win the tennis Grand Slam since Germany’s Steffi Graf in 1988. A win here would also see Williams equal Graf for the most career Grand Slam titles in the Open Era at 22. The world is really her oyster right now. Hell, she’s even dating Drake! ...apparently. But on the tennis court, history is hanging in the balance this year at Flushing Meadows in Queens, NY.
It’s amazing to think the success Serena has had the last four years considering where we were. In a sport where you can hit your prime as a teenager and 30 is ancient, she has managed to author some amazing final chapters to her career; the career of what may now be the greatest tennis player — male, female, singles, doubles, whatever — to ever walk this earth. Serena was certainly already destined to go down as an all-time great by 2010. She had won 13 Grand Slams in her 13 years as a pro. She had left her older sister Venus in the dust — who has only seven career Grand Slam titles — by going 6-2 in the eight Grand Slam Finals in which they’ve met. That is in addition to the now 12 major doubles titles they have won together. She even began her career by winning two mixed doubles titles in 1998 with Max Mirnyi. Serena had done it all, and had nothing left to prove. Plus, she had nagging leg injuries throughout the aughts that had forced her to miss a lot of time, and she had many interests off the court pulling at her, in the realms of fashion and entertainment. She and Venus even became part owners of the Miami Dolphins. Many people would’ve just bowed out and called it a day. But not Serena.
The last four seasons, from age 30 on, Williams has won eight of the 15 major championships. She’s won more times than she hasn’t won. In tennis, that is simply staggering. This isn’t like a baseball team having a record above .500. A Grand Slam tennis tournament has a field of 128 players and requires winning seven consecutive matches over the course of a couple weeks. To go 8-for-15 after the age of 30 is unheard of. Just for some perspective, reigning Grand Slam queen (for now) Steffi Graf won one Grand Slam tournament after she turned 28. Williams is looking to complete the Grand Slam at age 33, whereas Graf did it surrounding her 19th birthday. Roger Federer is the all-time greatest champion on the men’s side of the game with 17 majors and he is also only a month older than Serena. While Serena has been piling up championships, Roger has won one of the last 22 Grand Slam tournaments over the last six years, and has only been to four Finals. It is not so easy to age this gracefully in tennis, even for the greats. What we are seeing with Serena Williams is truly historic.
So let’s talk about the art of winning “The Grand Slam.” What makes it so special? We know Graf did it last in 1988. We know Hingis also hodgepodged together a doubles one in 1998, but that doesn’t really count for the purposes of this discussion. There have only been three other Grand Slams achieved in the Open Era. Martina Navratilova & Baltimore’s own Pam Shriver did it in women’s doubles in 1984, as part of their record 20 major titles together. Australian legend Margaret Court completed it in women’s singles in 1970. If Serena can get past Graf’s 22 career Grand Slams, Court will be the final mountain to climb. Court won 24 Grand Slam titles between 1960 and 1973 — the most of any player, bar none. However, more than half of Court’s championships came in the pre-Open Era, so a lot of tennis pundits consider Graf’s 22 the “real” record, but Serena has even Court’s lofty number in her sights. Finally, Rod Laver, another Australian legend, is the only man to complete the Grand Slam, doing so in 1969. He also completed one in the pre-Open Era. The Grand Slam in the pre-Open Era dates all the way to American Don Budge accomplishing the feat in 1938. So that’s five times that this has been accomplished in the almost 50 years of the Open Era, and only three times by individuals.
The answer to why it is so special is because it’s so rare and because it’s so hard to do. Sure, people did it more back in the day. That’s how these things always seem to go. Look at the sister of the Grand Slam, the Triple Crown, both in horseracing and baseball. Both of those feats were accomplished recently after decades of failure. In 2012, Miguel Cabrera won the American League Triple Crown — by leading the league in batting average, home runs and runs batted in — becoming the first man in baseball to do so in 45 years. Just this spring, American Pharoah won horseracing’s Triple Crown for the first time in 37 years by winning the top three races for thoroughbred horses, the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes. Both of those feats were done with regularity in the first half of the 20th century, but things got much more difficult in modern times. Golf, like tennis, also has four major championships every year and the opportunity for its players to win the “Grand Slam.” But a true Grand Slam has never been accomplished in modern era. It has never been accomplished in women’s golf either. Bobby Jones won three majors and something called “The Amateur Championship” in 1930, in the years before the Masters existed. Yeah, I’m not counting that one, Bobby. Tiger Woods was able to achieve what is called the “non-calendar year Grand Slam,” where one player holds all four major championships at once, without winning them all in the same season. Woods achieved this by winning the 2000 US Open, 2000 British Open, 2000 PGA Championship and 2001 Masters in consecutive order. He is the only one in golf to accomplish this.
When we start talking about the non-calendar year Grand Slam in tennis, we see more names pop up. I mean, Serena holds all four major championships right now. She is the first singles player to do this since… herself in 2002-03. The Bryan Brothers did it in 2012-13, adding an Olympic Gold Medal in the same timeframe for what is called “The Golden Slam.” Steffi Graf was able to achieve this feat in 1993-94, more recently than her true slam of 1988. Finally, the Williams Sisters themselves won four straight majors in 2009–2010, so Serena has done this dance a few times already. However, the true, calendar-year, legitimate, whole nine yards, real-deal “Grand Slam” in 2015 hangs in the balance, and don’t think Serena isn’t going for it.
Serena’s march toward the Grand Slam and career title #22 will not be without its challenges. There are some interesting potential matchups. If Williams can get past Diatchenko today — SERENA WINS LOL — she will likely face fellow 33 year-old Mirjana Lučić-Baroni in the second round. In the third round, a triumvirate of Americans looms — Bethanie Mattek-Sands, who’s won two major doubles titles this year, Coco Vandeweghe, niece of former NBA All-Star Kiki Vandeweghe, who made her first major Quarterfinal last month at Wimbledon and Sloane Stephens, the #29 seed who once famously beefed with Serena. The fourth round could see a matchup with former World No. 2 Agnieszka Radwańska of Poland, who could battle her own sister Urszula in round 2. Madison Keys, a 20 year-old American seeded #19, is also a possibility. The Quarterfinals are where it could get really interesting, as her sister Venus could possibly emerge. Serena was able to best Venus in an entertaining fourth round matchup last month at Wimbledon — the first time they faced in a major in six years. Venus, #23, will have to get past #8 Karolína Plíšková and #13 Belinda Bencic to get to her sister, although neither of those higher-ranking players have ever reached the Semifinal of a Grand Slam. The Semifinal was supposed to produce a matchup between Serena and her rival Maria Sharapova, but Sharapova pulled out of the tournament suddenly yesterday with a lingering leg injury. Former World No. 1 Ana Ivanovic, now seeded 7th, is the player of most repute remaining in that portion of the bracket now. A potential Final, if Serena can get there, could see Serena face a number of marquee opponents such as Simona Halep, Caroline Wozniacki, Petra Kvitová, Victoria Azarenka, Lucie Šafářová and Garbiñe Muguruza — the last two of which she faced in the Finals of the previous two majors.
Women’s sports are really having a moment in America right now. Along with Serena’s dominance, Ronda Rousey is arguably the UFC’s pound-for-pound most dominant champion, and inarguably their biggest money draw. A female in a combat sport has become a household name. The US Women’s Soccer Team won Gold at the World Cup this summer in Canada, all to massive ratings and multiple victory parades when they returned home. Even the divas of the WWE in the realm of sports entertainment are getting their chance to shine more than ever and are being treated as actual competitors and not just eye candy like in years past. Just look within tennis, where there are currently seven American women ranked in the top 50, many of them up-and-comers. The future is only getting brighter.
So with history up for grabs, Serena begins her quest for tennis’ first Grand Slam in 27 years — as well as a tie with Steffi Graf atop all of tennis at 22 career majors. She is a 1/2 favorite — for you non-gamblers that means you have to bet $2 to win $1; that’s a pretty awful way to make money — and the next closest player is Azarenka at 8/1. So as Serena plays these next couple weeks, flip over to ESPN2 and witness some history. Don’t take for granted the amazing feat that is being accomplished before your eyes. Remember that just because she makes it look easy, doesn’t mean it is easy. It just means that you had the privilege of watching the greatest tennis player of all-time.
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