“I came back after two babies, Serena hasn’t won a Slam since,” Margaret Court bashes Serena Williams blatantly on ‘GOAT’ remarks
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Margaret Court and Serena Williams
Former World No. 1 Margaret Court remains the most successful singles Grand Slam winner and her trophy cabinet is a testament to that. Winner of 24 majors in the singles, the Australian was on the top of the game during her entire career that spanned over 17 glorious years.
Court apart from her singles record also had 19 doubles and 21 mixed doubles majors taking her total Grand Slam tally to 64 titles, a record that remains unbroken to date. The Australian has however stepped back from the glamour and is currently a Minister of a Church in Perth.
“Serena Williams has played seven years more than I did,”: Margaret Court
The one argument that is held against Court is her titles won before the Open Era began. While she is nowhere at fault to have played in the Amateur Era, Serena Williams winning 23 majors in the Open Era has always dragged the Australian in the debate to which she has finally replied.
“Serena, I’ve admired her as a player. But I don’t think she has ever admired me. Serena has played seven years more than I did. I finished in my early 30s. People forget that I took two years out. I first retired, like Ash Barty, when I was 25, thinking I would never return to tennis.
“I got married, had a baby, but then had one of my best years, winning 24 out of 25 tournaments. I came back after two babies! After having the first baby, I won three out of the four slams. And Serena hasn’t won a slam since,” said Court speaking with the Telegraph UK.
Serena in her retirement announcement had openly claimed the record of most singles major although statistics say otherwise. The argument was again the same, all of Serena’s titles came in the Open Era, unlike Court who tasted success in both Eras.
Court also criticised Serana for poor sportsmanship after her 3rd round defeat to Ajla Tomljanovic in the 2022 US Open, which marked the end of Serena’s career. Williams however didn’t thank Ajla for a good match, a custom almost every player follows and both Serena and the US Open were criticised for discrimination towards Ajla.
“I thought it was bad that Williams didn’t mention her opponent more when she spoke. We were taught to be role models for the young, in how we behaved. We were taught to honour our opponent. You learned from your losses. We respected one another,” added Court.
While the statistics certainly point towards Court, Serena’s fans and the Serena herself believe that she is the one with the most majors won in the singles discipline as no other player has managed to match her record with only Rafael Nadal at 22 majors somewhere near in active players.
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Sarthak Shitole
(3462 Articles Published)