[will2survive]

She notched her 20th major at the French Open and is still dominant at 33 going on 34 years of age. Graf was great but if Seles didn't get stabbed, Graf would've have less majors.

It's difficult to compare men and women, but Serena is dominant and at an advanced age for tennis. There were some baseball players that were dominant at an advanced age and it was PED-related. I don't think that's the case here.

Point being, she'll go down as one of the most underrated athletes of all-time. Any opinions? Maybe the level of opposition isn't the greatest, but she's pushing 34.

[jjgold]

I would think she's the most dominant tennis player of all times and if she wins a couple more we could start putting her in a category of one of the most dominant sports athletes of all times

[Snowball]

In mostly all cases i think this term is overused and biased to recent athletes
over the ones in the past who have been forgotten by this generation, however
in Serena's case she really is the greatest.

[Darkside Magick]

crazy thing is she lost to her sister in 5 grand slams...twice in a final

[Jeffie]

crazy thing is she lost to her sister in 5 grand slams...twice in a final

She owns the H2H though. But there was a time when Venus was just as dominant. Could you imagine some of the old tennis stars against Serena? They would get crushed.. You could make a case that the competition is actually much tougher now then it was back then.

[shari91]

I don't see how she'll go down as underrated. She's been a force for close to half of my life and despite what people can slag her on about her looks, her supposed steroid use, her Father, weird family, etc, I don't think anyone would deny how amazing she is as a tennis player. The only time it sucks is when you're betting against her or she mucks up your handicap. Her sheer strength would pelt many of the older greats right off of the court because she's that strong.

Actually I take that back... she will be underrated for how she used strength and weight training to change the way women play tennis. Spindly little pushing biatches don't make much of an impact anymore.

[jjgold]

Azzy might still be the one that takes number 1 from her..its only player she does not really blow off the court and luck always makes her win more than skill

Lets not forget she lost some majors due to injury

[smoke a bowl]

Probably has at least 3 more majors if not for her sister.

[Blackballer]

Steffi G. enough said.

[Booya711]

She owns the HGH though.

fixed Jeffie

[DiggityDaggityDo]

Straight outta Compton.

[sluggy1616]

Serena never had a nemisis in her time. I thing if Martina Navratilova was playing now they would be close in titles. Bitches these days have no mental fortitude except for Serena. There are so many matches where the opponent should have won and didn't because of girly nerves. I'm not just talking finals here either.

[smoke a bowl]

Steffi G. enough said.

Stop it.

[Big Bear]

Straight outta Compton.

[DiggityDaggityDo]

Nice

[maletaja]

a)competition is much harder. Graf, Navratilova etc were lived basically gs semifinals and split top spots . Rank 100 was amateur
b)Serena would crush peak Graf 6-2 6-2
I hope that Serena crushes all records. It would be fair to get numbers correct

[HeeeHAWWWW]

It's difficult to compare men and women, but Serena is dominant and at an advanced age for tennis. There were some baseball players that were dominant at an advanced age and it was PED-related. I don't think that's the case here.

Why not? There are any number of red flags, and tennis still does basically no testing worthy of the name.

[shari91]

Editor's note: Our weeklong series of "What If …" scenarios are only hypothetical. We understand that a matchup of players from different generations comes with its share of things to take into consideration, such as the advancement of technology and the slowing of court surfaces in today's game. Some of these head-to-heads have an actual, albeit brief, history, while one player was winding down his or her career; thus, we're not taking those into consideration. For the sake of this series, we're assuming both parties are playing each other at their peak. It's just for fun, so enjoy and let us know who you think would win.

Matchup: Steffi Graf versus Serena Williams
Venue: Australian Open

Case for Steffi Graf: Of all the matchups this week, this might be the toughest to predict and the one that leads to the most consternation. It's like those fight-to-the-death debates between Superman and Batman. It's really about personal preference, meaning this battle for supremacy might never truly be settled.
Graf is one of the three greatest players of all time. There's no question about it. And for what it's worth, her career credentials suggest she could be the best, that is, if 22 Slams, 107 titles and 377 weeks as the world No. 1 mean anything. Those 107 titles, by the way, are more than twice as many as Serena has to date.
But their numbers at the Aussie Open are pretty even: Graf won four titles there and strung together a spectacular 47-6 career record. For Williams, she has five titles and a 54-7 record.

So what would separate the two Down Under? Even though Graf crushed her forehand with more punch than perhaps anyone who ever played, she would have a difficult time matching Serena's overall power. However, the slower courts at the Aussie Open today would help neutralize a lot of Serena's pace and allow Graf to leverage her athleticism, which was and still is second to no one's, not even Serena's. Playing against Serena in Oz would be a true test of endurance, and that's where Graf would have the edge.
For a three-year span at the Aussie Open (1988-1990), Graf lost a total of one set (one!). That also happened to coincide with one of the most dominant stretches of individual play in the history of the game. Graf won eight Slams in nine events and, in 1988, pulled off the Golden Slam, a spectacular feat that included winning all four majors and the Olympics. It was an unparalleled display of overwhelming opponents and assimilating to different venues and surfaces without a single slipup.

Graf was emotionless on the court, often aloof off it. There were no histrionics, no games. You would never, ever see on-court meltdowns like we've (famously) seen out of Serena. Graf was fiercely dedicated to her mission, the mission of winning.

Case for Serena Williams: Let's be honest here: When Rafael Nadal lost early at Wimbledon, were you completely shocked? And are you really all that surprised Roger Federer has made only one Slam semifinal this year? Probably not. But when Serena lost in the quarterfinals of the Aussie Open and the fourth round at Wimbledon, it felt like the Earth had shifted, if just a little.
That's how truly awesome Serena's past year has been. She had won 34 consecutive matches amid the best stretch of her career. She was, and is, expected to win every tournament she plays. When the US Open rolls around in a few weeks, name one player who you think has a legitimate shot at upsetting Serena? That doesn't mean she won't lose, but you might not want to wager your house or any other valuable treasures on it.

Yes, Serena lost to Sloane Stephens in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open this year, and she hasn't won Down Under since 2010 (she didn't play in 2011), but as a five-time champ, who wants to mess with her? And though Serena doesn't have the competition in today's game to rival what Graf would bring to the court, not one player has been able to beat the 16-time Slam champ consistently.
This includes power players like Venus Williams, who hasn't had a significant string of success against her sister since the outset of their careers in the late 90's/early 2000's, and stalwarts like Justine Henin, who had six wins over Serena, but four of which came on clay during an era when Serena wasn't expected to win on dirt.

Most great players seem to have some kind of kryptonite, whether it's a singular opponent, a surface or a style of play. If you look back at Serena's past couple of years, her losses have been mere aberrations: Sabine Lisicki on grass, Victoria Azarenka on hard courts, Razzano on clay and a just a handful more. In other words, it's fair to chalk these setbacks, which have been far and few, to her own poor play.

By now, most players who are Serena's age (31) are declining. But Serena? She's 80-7 since the beginning of 2011. That's kind of ridiculous when you think about it. Even with Graf at the pinnacle of her game, it's hard to believe she could handle the horsepower coming off Serena's racket -- especially the most prodigious serve the game has ever seen.

Brad Gilbert verdict: The thing that jumps out at me is that there have never been two greater athletes to play this game -- maybe in any sport. You're talking about arguably the greatest female athletes of the 20th century against the best of the 21st century.

Even though Steffi dominated on the hard courts, her chances of beating Serena with any kind of regularity would be on clay. But even then, it would be hard to defend Serena's power. To me, that would be a popcorn match; each would win five out of 10.

On any kind of faster court, it's still a great match-up of offense and movement, but with all that power from Serena, especially on the serve, she's a favorite.

http://espn.go.com/tennis/story/_/id...erena-williams

[jjgold]

hard to compare competition from generation to generation

Players train more, stronger, quicker and hit harder today with better equipment

Serena would of struggles with Martin Nav.

Graf serve would been tough for Serena..she could not break like she does now

[will2survive]

I don't see how she'll go down as underrated. She's been a force for close to half of my life and despite what people can slag her on about her looks, her supposed steroid use, her Father, weird family, etc, I don't think anyone would deny how amazing she is as a tennis player. The only time it sucks is when you're betting against her or she mucks up your handicap. Her sheer strength would pelt many of the older greats right off of the court because she's that strong.

Actually I take that back... she will be underrated for how she used strength and weight training to change the way women play tennis. Spindly little pushing biatches don't make much of an impact anymore.

Simply stated; When you think of superstars in the world of sports, Serena Williams isn't the first name that comes to mind. She's playing in a sport where individuals peak in their early 20's and she's pushing 34 years old. Richard Williams, from the start, said that Serena will go down as one of the all-time greats, and he was right. She's the greatest and still going strong. She is underrated and that's my opinion, but I bet it's a lot of people's opinion.

[will2survive]

Where Graf is concerned, she was on the decline when Monica Seles got stabbed. Seles was never the same and it enabled Graf to win more titles. Serena's pure power from her lower half and the skills that her dad taught her, are what makes her superior to anyone else.Similar to Lebron James having that extra bit of strength that most basketball players don't have.

[jjgold]

Serena Williams also goes down as the most successful woman in American History

No coaches, no schools. no camps..grows up in hood and junkie tennis courts to greatest player ever

Had to face all the racial stuff in a WHITE MAN's SPORT which is a feat in itself

Extremely educated too

You cannot make a fictional book up on this

[shari91]

Simply stated; When you think of superstars in the world of sports, Serena Williams isn't the first name that comes to mind. She's playing in a sport where individuals peak in their early 20's and she's pushing 34 years old. Richard Williams, from the start, said that Serena will go down as one of the all-time greats, and he was right. She's the greatest and still going strong. She is underrated and that's my opinion, but I bet it's a lot of people's opinion.

She's the first name that comes to mind when I think of female tennis players. No one else is even close. She's a beast. We'll have to agree to disagree that there are a lot of people who'd think of her as underrated. I think anyone who has a clue about tennis has her rightly at the top of the females and won't begrudge her a thing even if they prefer the styles of say a Martina or Steffi more. No proper tennis fan will ever underrate Serena fricken Williams lol

[will2survive]

She's the first name that comes to mind when I think of female tennis players. No one else is even close. She's a beast. We'll have to agree to disagree that there are a lot of people who'd think of her as underrated. I think anyone who has a clue about tennis has her rightly at the top of the females and won't begrudge her a thing even if they prefer the styles of say a Martina or Steffi more. No proper tennis fan will ever underrate Serena fricken Williams lol

We're talking about "the world of sports". I live in the good ole' USA and Tennis isn't the #1 sport in popularity. That's why I think that she's underrated. What I said about Graf is true. Seles was taking over until she got stabbed. Germany loved that! It kept Graf on top. Graf wouldn't have a prayer against Serena. Strength is the difference and most of her strength comes from her "trunk".lol

[jjgold]

The thing Serena does not have is the charm..she has gotten better over the years at least

I hear she is likeable though off the court and friendly

[will2survive]

The thing Serena does not have is the charm..she has gotten better over the years at least

I hear she is likeable though off the court and friendly

The Williams sisters have both matured. They're role models for kids.

[jjgold]

I think she can win 2 more majors

Some of these girls are getting close to her and younger

Age will catch up eventually

[MUHerd37]

She's the greatest of all time. However, you can't compare her to older players because of the difference in equipment. Racquets and strings of today are completely different to what they were even 10 years ago.

[gregm]

There is no doubt Serena is the phenomenal female tennis player of our time but I think with the passage of time people forget how absolutely dominant steffi graf and players like pete sampras were, they will probably forget how dominant federer was as well.

Steffi graf won 89% of her slam matches , won a golden slam , spent near 4 years consecutively at number 1 in the world and over 7 years as number one. Serena might catch steffi in the number of slams she wins but there are a ton of grafs records she will never catch. There is no doubt serena is the greatest tennis player of our times and if she did it without steroids, then it is a phenomenal achievement. Her behavior last year at wimbledon and so many matches lately is so strange with her health so its not always easy to wager on her with much certainty but I hope she catches Steffi Graf .

Tennis records need to take into account the steroid years just like cycling,baseball etc.

[kenz]

I miss Justine Henin... Serena is too much power for my taste

Henin was the answer for Federer in WorstTennisAvailable

[matt1216]

She owns the H2H though. But there was a time when Venus was just as dominant. Could you imagine some of the old tennis stars against Serena? They would get crushed.. You could make a case that the competition is actually much tougher now then it was back then.

Yes, but like all athletes over a 20 year span, genetics have changed greatly. Comparing Serena to anyone in the past is like comparing Gretzky to Crosby... No comparison imo. if Djoker wins every slam this year he will go down as the greatest for sure

[DrunkHorseplayer]

A great player but nowhere near GOAT due to her steroid use.

[seaborneq]

When you think of all the tennis greats that flamed out early, then Serena's dominance into her mid 30's is unmatched. Tennis players are "old" at 25 years old. Boris Becker, Ivan Lendl, Jennifer Capriati are just a few who were done in their early 20's. The stuff that Serena is doing now is absolute greatness.

[matt1216]

When you think of all the tennis greats that flamed out early, then Serena's dominance into her mid 30's is unmatched. Tennis players are "old" at 25 years old. Boris Becker, Ivan Lendl, Jennifer Capriati are just a few who were done in their early 20's. The stuff that Serena is doing now is absolute greatness.

Yes, but genetics have a ton to do with this, Imo. No female has the natural body that Serena has on your period. This gives her a massive advantage. You can tell Serena speed wise is slowing down but her "ball bashing power" makes up for any other difficiencies. However, her ball placement/range and IQ are probably up there amongst the best.

[GoBlue77]

Don't forget about my Swiss Miss

Graff is the GOAT tho