The truth of the matter is even when Serena didn't have the number 1 ranking next to her name, she was mostly the one to beat. Players saw her as the true number one based on her abilities. That's why even though she was the number 4 seed at the us open 2012, Azarenka who was number one was seen as the underdog in the final. And when Serena won, no one saw it as an upset. No matter how poor her form was, she always had a target on her back.
You're right. There was a significant part of Serena's career where she was the favorite to win any tournament she entered, regardless of her official ranking.
That Olympics semi final vs Azarenka was insane, we will never see that level again ever and we should recognize and celebrate her for it! Queen of Tennis
Don't forget that Azarenka with her 71 % career winning percentage is not among the top 20 of the open era. Andrea Jaeger, Gabriela Sabatini, Manuela Maleeva, Li Na and Iga Swiatek for instance are better than her in that regard.
The olympics was so good but i think that was mostly due to people underestimating how bad she wanted to win. She literally brushed off maria in the finals
She may not have won it all, I love the way Serena was hitting the ball in 2011 US open, maybe it was the sound of her racquet or whatever, but those hitting gives me joy …
Love watching Serena's aggressive play. Always holding tight to the baseline, moving forward & putting the ball where her opponent isn't. Such high tennis IQ. Some of the men could learn from watching her play. Too often they want to alpha dog exhausting rallies from behind the baseline, go for high risk winners, & hit at their opponents to make a point only to produce an error.
@@IAMMOVIN4WARD Do you really think she lacks high tennis IQ? You don't win 23 slams within an 18 year span beating about 3 generation of tennis players by just using brute force. There have been quite a number of women who can match her power and even exceed it, yet none of them have won nearly as much. Her Serve is a thing of beauty, coupled with her immaculate timing on the return of serve. Her masterful use of angles is only rivaled by Prime Monica Seles. There are many other aspects to her game.
@@heyguysimaj5614 Serena herself said men's tennis is a different sports, and that she doesn't want to play any man. She only wants to play women. We all know men are stronger and faster, so I don't get your comment. There are things male players can learn from her and implement in their games.
And yet Henin leads Serena 4-3 H2H in slam matches. When Justine was at her peak in 2003-07 Serena was only second fiddle. Sadly then burnout syndrome ended Juju's career. I don't think Serena would have more than 16 or 17 slams otherwise.
How i miss watching her play like this. It wasnt the same after the pregnancy- she was mentally a mess in big moments and was never able to bring her game in big moments. However, it is even worse now without her on the tour. If only i knew that the Australian Open 2017 was the last time I'd see her in top form, i would have savoured it more (not saying that i didnt savour the moment, because Venus also played amazingly that tournament, so it was a great one to watch)
Her problem after childbirth was physical,not mental...she looked 15-20 pounds heavier than she should be...had plenty of time to get in shape....she did do the work
@franm.6915 it was definitely her mental. Serena her entire career has been judged about her weight and won plenty of times whether her weight was up or down. Her confidence wasn’t there anymore as the top to beat and players weren’t intimidated anymore. She started losing to people she should’ve never lost too. I think her endurance was lackluster
SERENA WAS NUMBER 1 WITHOUT THE RANKINGS. HAD SHE AND HER SISTER DONE NOTHING ELSE BUT PLAY TENNIS LIKE THE OTHERS THEY WOULD'VE HELD THE NUMBER 1 AND 2 RANKINGS FOR MUCH LONGER.
@carrerau7138 IF YOU DON'T KNOW, THEN U HAVE NO IDEA WHO THEY ARE! IF YOU WANT TO KNOW, THEN LOOK IT UP FOR YOURSELF. I'M NOT HERE TO EDUCATE THE IGNORANT
I was about to say that Madrid Open win against Vika on the blue clay was it but f*k she gave Vika an ass whooping at the Olympics 😢😢😢and then Sharapova the next match
Me too but people corrected me said actually Henin was in the rankings world no. 1 but she did not play AO 2007 so Sharapova was 1 seed but not one in the world; either way Sharapova became no. 1 after AO and Serena proved who the true world no. 1 was that day actually she proved who the GOAT was that day lol
People also forget Serena was this dominant athlete while carrying around a pair of double DD's I seem to remember Simona Halep getting a breast reduction because they were getting in her way but not Serena. I miss her playing 😢😢😢
Remember when they let the men, who had the next 36 hours off already, play their USO’11 semis during the day, forcing Serena to play her semi until nearly 2am + shower AND press after that. And a GS final the next day less than 12 hours later. Absolutely inexcusable and clearly the only real reason Stosur won; given Serena beat her @$$ on hard courts less than a month prior.
There was that world wide robbery in 2004 vs. Capriati at the US Open. Worst match I've ever seen officited in my life. Sad thing is that Capriati lied and said she doesn't remember any balls going in or out, and that she was just playing her game. Tracey Austin, Ted Green and john McEnroe all said that J. Cap should be ashamed of herself for lying iike that. No sense of fair play and NO sportsmanship at all.
@@bridgetw.5328I remember watching that and being STUNNED at how blatant the cheating was! Serena, and Venus, had to overcome so much misogynoir from the WORLD.
I never understood how Wozniacki became Number 1. She didn't have any weapons besides her speed. Her and Safina were probably the worst Number 1 players.
Wozniacki was queen of Ball pushers. She always pushed you to play another point and have an unforced error. That was her weapon and it worked most times. She also played more than most in her prime.
18-5 is beastly, but there is nothing in the definition of “rivalry” that implies evenness or competitiveness between two people. Rivals are merely peers who meet often in the same sport or competition. So they would still by definition be rivals even if Azarenka were 0-23 against ReRe
Rivalries aren't just about the h2h but the quality of play produced. Serena & Azarenka always pushed each other to play their best across many epic 3 setters.
I see why Hingis said of Serena, She hits the ball all over the place. She said she would never be a great player. She's too big. Of course, playing the Williams' sisters and losing a lot is why she retired. She said, "I see no reason to play anymore, I can't win, and the players are too big." This, although their size (Serena's) and height were pretty much equal. Also, they won and lost to each other almost equally. I guess Hingis could see the writing on the wall.
Give it a break, man. Even McEnroe said that Henin was the best pound for pound player out there. Unfortunately Serena carried too many pounds though and she bulldozed with her size!!!
If all these other players who beat @SerenaWilliams in the finals had their win taken off them via DOPPING Serena would be over 30 GS wins it’s just not fair She played like no other And I love I mean I LOVE MARTINA NAVRATILOVA AND MONICA SELES BUT SERENA WILLIAMS
@@ntombingobeni6098 She failed to win the Grand Slam at the USO 2015. Cracked under pressure even though only two old Italian journeywomen stood in her way.
I remember when she told a reporter that she would never ever let Sharapova beat her again ever and I said then that Maria should retire but every final Maria was playing against Serena….well we know what happened….
After Henin's retirement in winter 2008 due to burnout syndrome Serena had only clowns as opposition. No wonder that she could add 15 more slam titles to the 8 she had already won.
That these clowns were #1 in the Serena era doesn't make Serena look particularly good (in comparison to the greats of the game like Evert, Navratilova, Graf).
Serena owns all the greats: Davenport, Capriati, Henin, Radwanska, Clijsters, Seles, Hingis, Wozniacki, Azarenka, Sharapova, Ivanovic, Venus... she's at the top of the food chain, no natural predators
BTW, Capriati and Henin both have a winning record against Serena in slam matches. Especially when Henin was at her peak in the mid-00s Serena was only second fiddle. Without Justine's 2008 burn-out Serena would have won a lot less slams (probably only 17-19).
"There's not one girl I see playing - I don't care if her name is Martina Hingis, Venus Williams or Serena Williams - who'll be what Graf was. Steffi was a thoroughbred running and the rest are mules." (Richard Williams) "There will be another Graf, but not in my lifetime." (Richard Williams)
Truth is Serena could spin on a dime and give these girls nine cents change on any given day she was the best she talked all the trash. She wanted to with that tennis racket while they ran their mouths trying to upset her, but they never could,jmo
I don't like her but you can't deny that she's the best female tennis player of the last 20 years. Even with 23 grand slams I think she played in one of the weakest fields ever I still think Graf is a better player, she played Chris Evert and Martina,Seles, Davenport, Henin etc.. The women's game now is an embarrassment.
Now the raging racist has arrived...what's been keeping you? Don't you little coward social misfits live for getting up each morning to spread hate? It's not like you have friends or anything, so what took you so long?
It must really hurt to see her dominate and wipe the court with your preferred players. So I guess its natural for someone so hurt to decide her superior speed, work ethic, angles, placement, and power were all the result of her not being a woman. It makes you feel better about the world you live in...we get it. The rest of the tennis world knows that She was just a superior athlete and champion, that was levels above her competition.
I just love watching her hit those amazing balls from out of orbit,, then the other person is just in disbelief like dam she still made it,, Sarena has her own style even in the outfits she wore,, I still watch her on RUclips there is no other like her🥎🥎🥎🥎🥎🥎🎾🎾🎾🎾🎾🥇🥇🥇
There is NO ONE like Serena. She was never boring, never complacent, never half-assing it… She’s the greatest of all time.
No,, I think Navratilova is the greatest American player of all time.
@carrerau7138 I’m not mad about that pick and I can see why
The truth of the matter is even when Serena didn't have the number 1 ranking next to her name, she was mostly the one to beat. Players saw her as the true number one based on her abilities. That's why even though she was the number 4 seed at the us open 2012, Azarenka who was number one was seen as the underdog in the final. And when Serena won, no one saw it as an upset. No matter how poor her form was, she always had a target on her back.
Serena really ruin the ranking system. Lol
You're right. There was a significant part of Serena's career where she was the favorite to win any tournament she entered, regardless of her official ranking.
@@mrrogers302how 🤔
She always played good against Caroline
❤❤❤
There are people that count on these videos and I’m one of them, THANK YOU🙌🏾
Same.
The 2012 Olympics was just total Goddess Mode.
It litterally was
Totalmente cierto, fue imparable y aplastante contra sus rivales de turno para ser campeona 💪🏿
@@mardigonzalez3106Cien percente
We will NEVER see another Olympics performance like that.
That Olympics semi final vs Azarenka was insane, we will never see that level again ever and we should recognize and celebrate her for it! Queen of Tennis
Don't forget that Azarenka with her 71 % career winning percentage is not among the top 20 of the open era.
Andrea Jaeger, Gabriela Sabatini, Manuela Maleeva, Li Na and Iga Swiatek for instance are better than her in that regard.
The olympics was so good but i think that was mostly due to people underestimating how bad she wanted to win. She literally brushed off maria in the finals
She may not have won it all, I love the way Serena was hitting the ball in 2011 US open, maybe it was the sound of her racquet or whatever, but those hitting gives me joy …
Love watching Serena's aggressive play. Always holding tight to the baseline, moving forward & putting the ball where her opponent isn't. Such high tennis IQ. Some of the men could learn from watching her play. Too often they want to alpha dog exhausting rallies from behind the baseline, go for high risk winners, & hit at their opponents to make a point only to produce an error.
"High tennis IQ." That part. 😏
@@IAMMOVIN4WARD Do you really think she lacks high tennis IQ? You don't win 23 slams within an 18 year span beating about 3 generation of tennis players by just using brute force. There have been quite a number of women who can match her power and even exceed it, yet none of them have won nearly as much. Her Serve is a thing of beauty, coupled with her immaculate timing on the return of serve. Her masterful use of angles is only rivaled by Prime Monica Seles. There are many other aspects to her game.
@@kofipokuantwi-boateng5446wait were they not agreeing with you!?
Any of the top 600 men would destroy her 😂😂😂😂😂
@@heyguysimaj5614 Serena herself said men's tennis is a different sports, and that she doesn't want to play any man. She only wants to play women. We all know men are stronger and faster, so I don't get your comment. There are things male players can learn from her and implement in their games.
I loved how Serena avenged her 2007 losses vs Hénin.
Whew, this is a friendly reminder that 2012 Olympics Serena was NASTY WORK. Sheesh.
To this day, that match against Henin is one of the most satisfying. Always made me happy when the Williams sisters destroyed Henin. :)
Hingis..satisfies me. But so many to choose from ! Cheers !
And yet Henin leads Serena 4-3 H2H in slam matches.
When Justine was at her peak in 2003-07 Serena was only second fiddle. Sadly then burnout syndrome ended Juju's career. I don't think Serena would have more than 16 or 17 slams otherwise.
@@carrerau7138I don’t believe Graf would have more than 15 or 16 if Seles was not attacked by a crazed German fan.
@@ReginaWz 🤣😂🤣
Which 7 or 8 slams would Steffi not have won?
@@carrerau7138 Which 7 Slams would Serena not have won? 🤣
That serve of Serena's is beautiful! ❤🔥
Serena and the serve!😊❤
How i miss watching her play like this. It wasnt the same after the pregnancy- she was mentally a mess in big moments and was never able to bring her game in big moments. However, it is even worse now without her on the tour. If only i knew that the Australian Open 2017 was the last time I'd see her in top form, i would have savoured it more (not saying that i didnt savour the moment, because Venus also played amazingly that tournament, so it was a great one to watch)
Her problem after childbirth was physical,not mental...she looked 15-20 pounds heavier than she should be...had plenty of time to get in shape....she did do the work
Sorry,she did NOT do the work
@franm.6915 it was definitely her mental. Serena her entire career has been judged about her weight and won plenty of times whether her weight was up or down. Her confidence wasn’t there anymore as the top to beat and players weren’t intimidated anymore. She started losing to people she should’ve never lost too. I think her endurance was lackluster
We love your channel in Poland. Great job. Best regards from Nie śpię bo oglądam tenis.
SERENA WAS NUMBER 1 WITHOUT THE RANKINGS. HAD SHE AND HER SISTER DONE NOTHING ELSE BUT PLAY TENNIS LIKE THE OTHERS THEY WOULD'VE HELD THE NUMBER 1 AND 2 RANKINGS FOR MUCH LONGER.
What else did the sisters do except tennis?
Or socializing with the Kardashians?
@carrerau7138 IF YOU DON'T KNOW, THEN U HAVE NO IDEA WHO THEY ARE! IF YOU WANT TO KNOW, THEN LOOK IT UP FOR YOURSELF. I'M NOT HERE TO EDUCATE THE IGNORANT
@@Jaijaisinger2727_ You think it is a question of education to know with which Hollywood bimbos the Wiliies socialized?
@@Jaijaisinger2727_lol😅
@@joaneokoh8901 😂🤣😂🤣😂IT JUST BURRRRNS U UP DOESN'T IT? HATER!
I was about to say that Madrid Open win against Vika on the blue clay was it but f*k she gave Vika an ass whooping at the Olympics 😢😢😢and then Sharapova the next match
I was waiting for the demolition of Sharapova at the 07 Australian Open Final but love this list!
Me too but people corrected me said actually Henin was in the rankings world no. 1 but she did not play AO 2007 so Sharapova was 1 seed but not one in the world; either way Sharapova became no. 1 after AO and Serena proved who the true world no. 1 was that day actually she proved who the GOAT was that day lol
People also forget Serena was this dominant athlete while carrying around a pair of double DD's I seem to remember Simona Halep getting a breast reduction because they were getting in her way but not Serena. I miss her playing 😢😢😢
So you want us to clap for your silly comment
Apocryphally, the Amazons lost one in archery, to be able to draw the bow better..
@@ukestudio3002 A myth.
Remember when they let the men, who had the next 36 hours off already, play their USO’11 semis during the day, forcing Serena to play her semi until nearly 2am + shower AND press after that. And a GS final the next day less than 12 hours later. Absolutely inexcusable and clearly the only real reason Stosur won; given Serena beat her @$$ on hard courts less than a month prior.
Exactly. Each tournaments does what it can to stack the odds in favor of certain players. Serena returned to win the next three USOs & tie with Evert.
There was that world wide robbery in 2004 vs. Capriati at the US Open. Worst match I've ever seen officited in my life. Sad thing is that Capriati lied and said she doesn't remember any balls going in or out, and that she was just playing her game. Tracey Austin, Ted Green and john McEnroe all said that J. Cap should be ashamed of herself for lying iike that. No sense of fair play and NO sportsmanship at all.
@@bridgetw.5328I remember watching that and being STUNNED at how blatant the cheating was! Serena, and Venus, had to overcome so much misogynoir from the WORLD.
I never understood how Wozniacki became Number 1. She didn't have any weapons besides her speed. Her and Safina were probably the worst Number 1 players.
Wozniacki was queen of Ball pushers. She always pushed you to play another point and have an unforced error. That was her weapon and it worked most times. She also played more than most in her prime.
Serena v Sharapova 2007 AO F and Miami 4R also were beatdowns.
sharapova was not world number one on both occasions. She seeded number one
@@serenawilliamsfans6524 Oh sorry my bad. I thought she was #1, must have just been seeded 1. Was it Justine Henin at the time?
I remember the 2001 SF against Hingis. Serena had 100% first serves in the second set. A masterful lesson in serving.
Pfft Serena v Azarenka h2h is 18-5 and some people will call it a rivalry.
18-5 is beastly, but there is nothing in the definition of “rivalry” that implies evenness or competitiveness between two people. Rivals are merely peers who meet often in the same sport or competition. So they would still by definition be rivals even if Azarenka were 0-23 against ReRe
Rivalries aren't just about the h2h but the quality of play produced. Serena & Azarenka always pushed each other to play their best across many epic 3 setters.
@@got2bjosh you’re a superfan- i see you under every comment and videos lol
@@got2bjoshur always a Mariah super fan as well. We have a few things in common
@@ayoayo7730 You know it!
Shes a champion.. no matter what shes ranked.. when Serena plays.. 99% shes reach finalist..
That is a brazen lie.
Serena played 240 tournaments but made the finals in only 98.
Only 41 %. 😂
Strategic athleticism.
I see why Hingis said of Serena, She hits the ball all over the place. She said she would never be a great player. She's too big.
Of course, playing the Williams' sisters and losing a lot is why she retired.
She said, "I see no reason to play anymore, I can't win, and the players are too big."
This, although their size (Serena's) and height were pretty much equal. Also, they won and lost to each other almost equally. I guess Hingis could see the writing on the wall.
Couldnt believe I forgot The Henin Humiliation… that was delicious 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Give it a break, man. Even McEnroe said that Henin was the best pound for pound player out there. Unfortunately Serena carried too many pounds though and she bulldozed with her size!!!
Queen of the tennis
That Henin match was incredibly satisfying
If all these other players who beat @SerenaWilliams in the finals had their win taken off them via DOPPING
Serena would be over 30 GS wins it’s just not fair
She played like no other
And I love I mean I LOVE
MARTINA NAVRATILOVA AND MONICA SELES BUT SERENA WILLIAMS
"Dopping"?
That coming from a Serena fan is comedy gold.
Powerful awesome woman 🎉🎉🎉🎉❤❤❤❤❤
2012 Rena was peak at the Olympics. She demolished everybody there. If she could have kept that momentum she could have easily won 24 + GS
she won everything tennis had to offer...... that's how a person is being rated...
@@ntombingobeni6098 She failed to win the Grand Slam at the USO 2015.
Cracked under pressure even though only two old Italian journeywomen stood in her way.
She seems completely in control of the points in this video
I remember when she told a reporter that she would never ever let Sharapova beat her again ever and I said then that Maria should retire but every final Maria was playing against Serena….well we know what happened….
After Henin's retirement in winter 2008 due to burnout syndrome Serena had only clowns as opposition.
No wonder that she could add 15 more slam titles to the 8 she had already won.
I miss her so much!
That these clowns were #1 in the Serena era doesn't make Serena look particularly good (in comparison to the greats of the game like Evert, Navratilova, Graf).
Serena owns all the greats: Davenport, Capriati, Henin, Radwanska, Clijsters, Seles, Hingis, Wozniacki, Azarenka, Sharapova, Ivanovic, Venus... she's at the top of the food chain, no natural predators
Most of these opponents are no "greats".
BTW, Capriati and Henin both have a winning record against Serena in slam matches.
Especially when Henin was at her peak in the mid-00s Serena was only second fiddle. Without Justine's 2008 burn-out Serena would have won a lot less slams (probably only 17-19).
Let's not forget the 2007 Australian Open final where an unranked Serena just annihilated the #1 seed Sharapova 6-1 6-2
So what?
Sharapova even lost to a 39-year-old Kimiko Date in 2010.
Serena Maria AusOpen’07?
Sharapova seeded number one. Justine henin was world number one that time. She didn't played.
Maybe an idea for a video? Top 5 trashing of top seeds 😊
8:59 might be the most badass return of all time. Get wrecked!
Serena had these girls running all over the damn court🤣
Wasn’t Jankovic 1 in the world at the 2008 US Open final Serena took or was she just seeded 1 for the tournament?
Ana Ivanovic was #1 but got smacked in the 2nd round by Julie Coin
She was number 2 in the world. Ivanovic - number 1
Just two weeks before 2008 us open, jankovic was world number one only for one week.
I thought she and Wozniacki are friends😂!
Richard told y'all. 😊
"There's not one girl I see playing - I don't care if her name is Martina Hingis, Venus Williams or Serena Williams - who'll be what Graf was. Steffi was a thoroughbred running and the rest are mules."
(Richard Williams)
"There will be another Graf, but not in my lifetime."
(Richard Williams)
I miss serena and venus, bigtime! They always meant business on the court. Now its just kind of flat
At her peak shes unbeatable.
Which were her best 3 slams in your opinion?
When Serena is in the draw, rankings means nothing.
Truth is Serena could spin on a dime and give these girls nine cents change on any given day she was the best she talked all the trash. She wanted to with that tennis racket while they ran their mouths trying to upset her, but they never could,jmo
Can you make Serena destroyed by her opponents?
She lost badly to Jo Konta and Simona Halep
open a channel for Jo konta and Simona Halep and do that video? this is a serena video
Serena knew that Caroline couldn't really hurt her power wise, soooo. Bye bye
GOAT
Are you American?
🤣
Safina 09 AO final?
Wozniacki was num 1??
I don't like her but you can't deny that she's the best female tennis player of the last 20 years.
Even with 23 grand slams I think she played in one of the weakest fields ever I still think Graf is a better player, she played Chris Evert and Martina,Seles, Davenport, Henin etc..
The women's game now is an embarrassment.
I bet you couldn’t beat Serena
Give us early rights and justice we will master anything. Success is in reach when all road blocks are removed.
Of course who can beat the dude 🙄
It’s not funny anymore or it never was. Change the narrative. She’s retired and moved on so should you…
Now the raging racist has arrived...what's been keeping you? Don't you little coward social misfits live for getting up each morning to spread hate? It's not like you have friends or anything, so what took you so long?
It must really hurt to see her dominate and wipe the court with your preferred players.
So I guess its natural for someone so hurt to decide her superior speed, work ethic, angles, placement, and power were all the result of her not being a woman. It makes you feel better about the world you live in...we get it.
The rest of the tennis world knows that She was just a superior athlete and champion, that was levels above her competition.
@@waynejames2160natural reaction from the insecure and jealous ..
That's what folks do to those more talented, gifted, and just BETTER...resort to insults and utter rubbish. Grow up. Jealousy is poison.
I just love watching her hit those amazing balls from out of orbit,, then the other person is just in disbelief like dam she still made it,, Sarena has her own style even in the outfits she wore,, I still watch her on RUclips there is no other like her🥎🥎🥎🥎🥎🥎🎾🎾🎾🎾🎾🥇🥇🥇
Serena Williams always reminded of a Bull in a China shop thundering around. Anything but ladylike more masculine than anything or anyone