Serena Williams is one of the most accomplished tennis players in the sport’s history, but she is still chasing one big mark: the one set by Steffi Graf.
Graf has the record for all tennis players with 22 grand slam singles titles. Williams is tied for second with Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert with 18, but she has a strong chance to separate herself with a win over Maria Sharapova in the Australian Open finals. Still, Serena’s coach and boyfriend Patrick Mouratoglou says he does not believe she is thinking about Graf’s mark yet.
After Williams beat Madison Keys in straight sets to reach the finals, Mouratoglou was asked whether his pupil/lover is thinking about tying Graf.
“To be honest I don’t think so. I think she feels it’s way too far still,” Mouratoglou said via the WTA. “She’s just looking at the next Grand Slam and it’s enough for her to feel the desire to go on. With the tournament she had, believe me she wouldn’t be into this final if she weren’t very motivated.”
He is right — it is a little too far to think about it immediately, but it has to be on Serena’s mind. If she beats Sharapova (again) that would give her 19. If she pulls down another major or two this year, she’ll be in striking distance for next year. And despite being 33 years old, Serena is not showing any signs of a potential slowdown in the future.
