Serena Williams’ ex-coach fuels GOAT debate by undermining Margaret Court’s Grand Slam tally
Serena Williams has often spoken about the pressure she faced to surpass Margaret Court's 24 Grand Slam titles.
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Margaret Court (via The Australian)
Serena Williams‘ long time ex-coach Patrick Mouratoglou reposted a tweet, comparing the nature of the achievements in pre Open Era and Open Era tennis. Mouratoglou who is pretty active on X with his opinions, reiterated with this tweet that winning a Grand Slam before the Open Era can never be comparable to winning one in the Open Era.
The Open Era which began in 1968, enabled professional players to compete alongside amateurs in all tennis tournaments. This ended the division that had persisted since the dawn of the sport in the 19th century.
I said it a million times. With all due respect, the record of Margaret Court was established at a time when tennis was not even a professional sport. Winning GS at that time can never be considered as winning GS in the open era.
Patrick Mouratoglou via X
I said it a million times. With all due respect, the record of Margaret Court was establish at a time when tennis was not even a professional sport. Winning GS at that time can never be considered as winning GS in the open era. https://t.co/5VKJMYduXT
— Patrick Mouratoglou (@pmouratoglou) January 23, 2025
Margaret Court‘s tennis career overlapped between both these eras with her 24 singles Grand Slam record often bought up in discussion with those who have nearly a similar number of records in the Open Era. Out of these 24 titles, 11 were won in the Open Era.
Novak Djokovic currently holds 24 Grand Slam titles and is chasing for his 25th one at the Australian Open 2025, under the guidance of his coach Andy Murray. His ‘Big 3’ rivals Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have won 22 and 20 Grand Slam titles respectively.
Margaret Court’s records and achievements
In women’s tennis, Serena Williams holds the most number of Grand Slam titles – 23. This is followed by Steffi Graf‘s 22 Grand Slams which also includes her elusive Golden Slam which she achieved in 1988, a feat that weighs in heavily in her favor in the conversation of the GOAT of tennis.
In Mouratoglou’s opinion, these records can not be compared to Margaret Court’s. This is due to the fact that she partly played before the Open Era as well, a time when tennis was not yet a professional sport. Williams has often spoken about the pressure of surpassing Court’s record.
While it is a rather unfair comparison between two tennis legends, Margaret Court’s record in the Open Era is nonetheless noteworthy. She secured 92 career titles in the Open Era. Her 11 Grand Slam titles in the Open Era include 4 Australian Open titles, 3 French Open titles, 3 US Open titles and 1 Wimbledon title.
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Anubhav Bajpeyee
(253 Articles Published)