Rita Panahi: Serena Williams’ grand slam claims beyond reason

It reflects poorly on Serena Williams that she hasn’t acknowledged Margaret Court’s stellar achievements and falsely claimed to have surpassed them.

Tennis champion Serena Williams and her media mates are determined to rewrite history.

You’d think she’d be happy celebrating her retirement as one of the game’s greats but it seems the fact that she failed to equal or beat Margaret Court’s record is a sore point.

Not content with being labelled the GOAT (greatest of all time) by segments of the media, Williams has in recent weeks claimed that she has broken Court’s record.

Asked on America’s Today program about breaking Court’s record, Williams said: “I’ve already broken the record … I never dreamed of having this many Grand Slams or titles.”

Umm, what now, Serena?

I’m no master mathematician but last I checked 24 was more than 23.

24 is how many grand slam titles Australia’s Margaret Court holds.

23 is Serena’s total.

How she can pretend she’s “already broken the record” is beyond reason.

Serena Williams in recent weeks claimed that she has broken Margaret Court’s record.

Unless she’s suddenly decided that because her titles were won in the ‘Open Era’ she’s no longer in competition with Court for the record. How convenient.

It’s a dramatic change in attitude to just a few weeks earlier when Williams acknowledged that she had not broken the record.

In a piece for Vogue magazine she wrote: “There are people who say I’m not the GOAT because I didn’t pass Margaret Court’s record of 24 grand slam titles … I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want that record. Obviously I do.”

But now she says she has broken the record.

I guess in this post-truth age where feelings trump facts she has broken the record; that’s her truth.

But the record books will show that Court won 24 grand slam singles titles as well as 40 other major titles including double and mixed doubles.

It reflects poorly on Williams that she has not acknowledged Court’s stellar achievements and falsely claimed to have surpassed them.

Former tennis player Margaret Court says she’s been subjected to “bullying”.

In an interview with the UK Telegraph, Court described her disappointment in Williams’ lack of respect and the bullying she’s encountered from the tennis world and media.

“Serena, I’ve admired her as a player, but I don’t think she has ever admired me,” she said.

Court says despite her treatment she still loves the game.

“I have had a lot of bullying. But we should be able to say what we believe,” she said. “I’ve got nothing against anybody. I respect everybody, I minister to everybody.

“I love the game still. I teach a lot of young people today, and I use illustrations from tennis about the discipline, the commitment, the focus. Sport brings so much to your life.”

Williams could learn a thing or two from another Australian tennis great Evonne Goolagong Cawley, who like Court came back after childbirth to win grand slam singles titles.

Goolagong Cawley has said that Court would be a champion in any era and was the GOAT in her eyes.