Serena Williams insists she’s not worthy of being tagged the greatest women’s player in tennis history as she focusses on completing another unique family double at the US Open.
Williams is looking to join older sister Venus (2000) and the legendary Steffi Graf (1988) as the only players ever to win Wimbledon, Olympic singles gold and the US Open in the same year.
World sport’s most successful siblings have already achieved countless firsts in tennis and such a golden treble would be one more family feat to boast of at the Williams dinner table.
Such an accomplishment, it seems, would be enough judging by Serena’s response when told on the Open eve that retiring star Kim Clijsters had lauded her as the greatest women’s player of all-time.
Clijsters said she was “full of admiration” for the likes of Graf and Monica Seles when she first entered the professional ranks, but that the American sisters had since taken women’s tennis to “another level”.
“To me, Serena is the best ever just because I think physically she just stands out,” Clijsters said.
“When she’s in good shape, I think she just stands out tremendously. I mean, she’s fast, she’s strong, she has a very good eye as well.
“I think the combination of that is what we have seen over the last few months – (she) is the best player ever.”
Williams, though, was having none of it and tried to deflect both the Open spotlight and favouritism to others including Australia’s defending champion Samantha Stosur.
“I can’t sit here and say I’m the best ever. I’m not. I’m not worthy of that title,” said the 14-times grand slam champion.
“I’m just Serena. I love playing tennis and I’m good at it. Just because I’m good at it doesn’t make me the best.”
But if not the best ever, undoubtedly the best of her generation and certainly the best in 2012, even if the rankings have the 30-year-old at No.4 behind Victoria Azarenka, Agnieszka Radwanska and Maria Sharapova.
Since April, Williams has won 34 of 36 matches and clinched her fourth Olympic gold medal with a 6-0 6-1 mauling of Sharapova.
“You’ve got to embrace it whether you’re the favourite or the one to beat or whether you are not,” Williams said.
“And I embrace it. In Wimbledon, I wasn’t the favourite; I embraced that. Hopefully I can propel and do my best here.
“(But) thinking about players to beat, you have to put Sam Stosur in there as defending champ. This court kind of suits her game and I think it suits her style. She plays really well on it.
“Obviously Victoria is a great player. She went on that unbelievable (26-match) winning streak (to start the season). I don’t think anyone can pretty much forget that.
“She’s doing well, so it’s just some good tennis going on.”
Seven different women have won the past seven grand slam events, with Li Na, who started the streak at last year’s French Open, and 2011 Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova, also among the form players expected to challenge Williams at Flushing Meadows.
Both secured their maiden titles on American hardcourts over the past month and Kvitova added a second on Saturday with victory over Maria Kirilenko in New Haven.
German Angelique Kerber shouldn’t be dismissed as a contender either after toppling Venus Williams at the Wimbledon Olympics and snapping Serena’s 19-match winning run in Cincinnati.
