Serena’s continued quest for record-equalling grandslam no 24

It’s the beginning of a new year. 2020 signifies not only the start of a new decade and a chance to start anew but for a certain female lawn tennis living legend, it serves as a fresh opportunity to finally get it right by equaling the once-feared impossible to attain WTA record of 24 GRANDSLAM titles held by Margaret Court.

For an athlete who has won 23 major singles titles, the most by any man or woman in the Open Era, whom the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) has ranked world No. 1 in singles on eight separate occasions between 2002 and 2017 and who reached the No. 1 ranking for the first time on July 8, 2002 and on her sixth occasion held the ranking for 186 consecutive weeks, tying the record set by Steffi Graf, it is beyond impressive that at 38years old SERENA WILLIAMS is even still in the conversation as the first GRANDSLAM of the 2020 WTA season, The Australian open, kicks off.

Purists, naysayers and detractors might point at the fact that it only took Court 29 appearances at the final to accomplish the aforementioned feat compared to Serena William’s 33 attempts so far but that argument is easily doused when placed alongside another fact that Margaret achieved her enviable achievement before the start of the Open Era.

It would be a little poetic for Serena to tie Margaret by winning the Australian Open, incidentally her last Grandslam title in which she won in 2017 by defeating her sister Venus Williams in straight sets 6-4 6-4. She come close on numerous times to equal this record though after reaching and losing four grand-slam finals: Wimbledon and the US Open in 2018 and 2019. It is an astounding achievement for an ageing champion so soon out of childbirth, but the consequence of her successes over the years is that nothing but victory is acceptable.

Williams is still playing at an extremely high level, but mentally it will only get tougher.

She lost those four grand-slam finals without winning a set. Age brings a greater understanding of the size of these achievements, which makes it all so much more difficult; she knows that she will retire soon and that her opportunities are finite. The question is whether she can take them.

She faces stiff competition from the new kids on the block, Naomi Osaka (2019 Australia open winner), Coco Gauff, current world number 1 Aussie, Ash Barty (who would undoubtedly have home support on her side) and the resurgent Caroline Wozniaki, but it’s hard to count out the consistent, resilient, hard-hitting, fit again American Serena Williams whose focused eyes are firmly on the prize.