Serena Williams not the one to pass Margaret Court’s major record
Margaret Court expects her grand slam singles record of 24 titles to topple one day.
Margaret Court expects her grand slam singles record of 24 titles to topple, sooner or later — but not necessarily to closest pursuer Serena Williams.
Court, 77, has held the record since 1973.
She is one of only three women in history to complete the grand sweep by winning all four majors — the Australian, French, Wimbledon and the US Open — in a season.
Court four times won three of the four majors, most notably in 1973 when returning to tennis after childbirth, losing in the Wimbledon semis.
“I’ve always said the record was there to be beaten, the 24 (singles),” Court said with Williams (23) on the verge of equalling her mark. “Even some of the guys (Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic) are going after it, but they’ll never beat the 64 (combined singles, doubles and mixed doubles titles).
“Today, they don’t play doubles and mixed, the top players. I won a grand slam in the mixed (with Ken Fletcher in 1963).
“We always played three events and they don’t today. That will never be beaten but the 24 has always been there to be beaten.
“I don’t ever think about it unless someone asks me so it’s not something I lose sleep over or will ever lose sleep over.”
Asked if she expects 38-year-old Williams to catch and pass her, Court said: “I don’t know. It’s interesting. She may equal it but she’s still got to pass it.
“It’s an ask.”
Court points to the emergence of a band of fresh, young talent as an obstacle to Williams, whose most recent grand slam title came at the 2017 Australian Open.
“There’s a lot of young players coming through,” she said.
“Bianca Andreescu and Naomi Osaka play well. Ash Barty.
“It’s one thing to win one. The hard thing is to stay there. That’s what makes real champions.
“The players who have won more than one have stayed there and that’s what makes them champions.”
Of the active men, Federer (20), Nadal (19) and Djokovic (16) could conceivably overtake Court and Williams.
Court’s 1973 US Open victory was her last major before retirement in 1975. Apart from her 24 singles majors, Court landed 21 in mixed doubles and 19 in doubles after taking a year off in 1967 when she retired for the first time.
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