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Forget wabbit season, duck season, or even strap season.

Recent professional sports are GOAT season.

In recent years, stars from various disciplines have come together to take the game to what is considered the “greatest of all time.”

Indeed, some cases stand up to scrutiny more than others.

LeBron James has become a player worthy of comparison with Michael Jordan. Tiger Woods makes a compelling argument next to Jack Nicklaus, and Tom Brady stands shoulder-to-shoulder with his NFL peer group involved, thanks to numerous numbers and astonishing longevity. lined up and probably overtook.

Talk to Stephen Curry, Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Judge, and others, and they’re all progressing well from their awarded GORN (“Best Current”) status.

But there is one athlete, past or present, whose dominance trumps them all.

her name? Serena Williams.

The Michigan-born supernova, who is just weeks away from her 41st birthday, capped off a remarkable career this week with an infamous 21st appearance at the US Open in New York.

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It was her sixth consecutive winless finish at USTA headquarters since she won her last title in 2014.

But the reality is that Williams, who turned pro five months after Tomljanovic, now 29, turned two, didn’t end with a nostalgic two-week run that saw her head and shoulders in front of the GOAT field. does not weaken the notion of arranging

Because none of her 21st-century contemporaries has cut themselves off like she does.

In fact, it’s not particularly close.

James surpassed Jordan in points, assists, rebounds and NBA Finals appearances, but he’s not the all-time leader in any of those categories and still trails MJ in the ring.

Woods, on the other hand, was a trophy-collecting genius in his early days and seemed destined to break the watermark of the Golden Bear of 18 majors, but the 11-year gap between 14th and 15th place was a huge loss. Already thwarted his quest before a horrific car accident. As I got older, it became a point of contention.

And while Brady’s seven titles and continued high-level performances at the age of 45 have created an undisputed place in football’s permanent hierarchy, the type of dissent is that he is the greatest player in history. It suggests that he was a more frequent beneficiary from elite defensive and offensive teammates than other teammates who might bet the best claim.

Williams, on the other hand, reached a class of his own on his own.

The 16 major doubles titles she’s won (14 women’s, 2 mixed) are impressive enough in all circumstances, but it’s also worth mentioning that Venus’ sister far outstrips everyone she’s played against and is statistically more successful than her. As a solo act that surpasses everyone who came before. Regardless of age.

Jamie Squire

She began winning Grand Slam singles titles at the age of 17 at the 1999 US Open. Her 22 additional titles she’s won since the arrival of the new millennium are more than three times her seven titles put together by her older sister (2000 to her 2008). ) and Belgian ace Justine Henin (2003-2007).

Fifteen of her wins came after either of those two chasers last lifted the trophy, making Maria Sharapova the only woman to win five majors since 2000. Including 8 of her 9 in Grand Slam events.

In short, in tennis’s modern age, she’s a champion in straight sets.

And it’s not one-sided for generations that have been deleted once or twice.

Williams’ 23 singles titles are one behind the historic number established by Margaret Court, but more than half of the Australian’s 24 wins have seen participation in majors restricted to amateur players only. was made before 1968. In the Open era that followed, by 1973 he won 11 times.

Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova followed the court, winning 18 titles each until Navratilova’s end at the 1990 US Open, but compared to Evert’s 27-year-old and Navratilova’s 26-year-old, Williams By the age of 21, she had won all four Grand Slams and never let her rivals share a stage, going 22-10 combined against Venus, Ennin and Sharapova in the majors for far too long.

To tell the truth, German star Steffi Graf alone won 14 of his 22 majors in the 1990s with a stellar run, so it’s not enough to be a cursory mention in career controversy. It surpasses his 10 wins and his 12 wins that Williams won from his 2000 to his 2009. and him in 2010-19, respectively—but the tiebreaker goes to the latter player. Because her stay among the elite lasted much longer and she won more overall titles in her end-to-end.

While Graff’s empire was built on precision that could adapt to all surfaces, Williams was the game’s most powerful player, highlighting his advantage on hard courts and grass, winning Wimbledon (7) and the Australian Open. He has won 20 of his 23 majors at the Open (7) (7) and the US Open (6).

She has more combined wins (298) in those three events than Graf (194), and her 69 wins at the French Open are not far behind Graf’s 84.

AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian, File

The two met only twice in 1999, when Graf was 29 and Williams was 17, and they hold the record for the longest streak of the world’s top female players at 186 weeks.

John McEnroe, a seven-time Grand Slam singles champion during Graff’s heyday and a longtime television analyst since Williams’ arrival, pointed the needle at Williams while labeling her a global superstar and a ” I call him the best player ever.”

“You can see the accomplishments. She’s got Grand Slam wins,” he told TennisHead.net. it seems like.

“When she plays, it’s a whole different story.”

Another veteran broadcaster, Jim Lampley, agrees.

Lampley, who was working at NBC’s Summer Olympics when Williams won gold in doubles in 2000 and 2008, told Bleacher Report that both her family’s evolution and the evolution of the game were her ultimate greatness. said to have helped create

“At first, she wasn’t a family priority. I think she benefited from that,” he said. “Modern athletes are carnivorous, obsessive machines. Everything must evolve.

“Navratilova was unprecedented. Graf was unprecedented. Serena.”

game. setting. match. Legend.