Serena, the GOAT, Becomes the Sacrificial Lamb
On Tuesday, Serena Williams lost in the first round to 115th-ranked Harmony Tan 7-5, 1-6, 7-6 (10-7). If ever there were a case of the GOAT looking like a sacrificial lamb, this was it.
It was the 21st time that Serena Williams has played Wimbledon. It was Harmony Tan’s first time, but Tan will be the player heading to the second round at the All England Club. …
[S]he did not hesitate when asked if she was OK with this being her final Wimbledon memory if that was the way it turned out. ‘Obviously not. You know me. Definitely not,’ Williams, 40, said.
(The New York Times, June 28, 2022)
I know her too. That’s why I am so concerned.
Serena chasing Court
Serena won her 23rd grand slam title in January 2017. Since then, she has been on a quest to surpass Margaret Court’s record of 24. That would seal her legacy as the unconditional GOAT. But her quest has been marked by tantalizing failures.
Of course, her quest to dethrone Court hasn’t been as beleaguered as Tiger’s to dethrone Jack Nicklaus. But it’s pretty damn close. Her perennial shortcomings even moved me to write “Wimbledon: Serena Becoming Forever Lady-in-Waiting…for GS 24.”
Serena has failed to win any of the last four grand slam finals in which she seemed poised to seal that legacy. Those lady-in-waiting finishes include Wimbledon 2018, US Open 2018, Wimbledon 2019, and US Open 2019.
Recurring injuries had her making more excuses than victory speeches after matches. Now she’s showing up at grand slams only for unranked players like Tan to seal their legacies by saying they beat the GOAT.
Steffi Graf or Muhammad Ali
That’s why I admire Steffi Graf so much. She retired in 1999 at the young age of 30. She was still on top of her game, but an injury made the writing on the wall clear. So she retired with grace.
Alas, it’s too late for Serena (and her sister Venus) to do that. No one is a bigger fan than I am. And I’m not questioning Serena’s entitlement to retire on her terms. I am merely observing how painful it is to watch her continually come up short. And that’s especially so knowing how much she wants that 24th grand slam.
My abiding feeling is one of despair. And it’s the kind I haven’t felt since I watched Larry Holmes fight Muhammad Ali in 1980. It featured Holmes begging the referee to stop the fight. It was too painful for him to continue beating up his idol. Ali should have retired years before that fight.
We all know how Ali ended up. So, continuing the analogy, let’s hope Serena retires soon. After all, recurring injuries seem bound to prevent her from surpassing Court. But they might also prevent her from playing home-court matches with her daughter.
iPINIONS is not big on conspiracies. But it seems more than coincidental that Tiger fell apart just as he was about to dethrone Jack in golf. Serena fell apart just as she was about to dethrone Margaret in tennis. And Lewis fell apart just as he was about to dethrone Michael in F1 racing.
Things that make you go, hmmm, no?
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