Former women’s No. 1 ranked tennis star Serena Williams recently announced that she would begin the process of retiring from competitive play as most expect the upcoming US Open tournament Aug 29 – Sep 11 to possibly be her final tournament of serious competition.
When Serena officially walks away from the sport that she has been synonymous with for over two full decades, the debate over where she ranks on the greatest of all time list will ramp into overdrive.
Sam & Greg on the Weekends asked the question to Karen Pestaina of Tennis Panorama News, when she joined the show to talk about the amazing career of Williams, and Karen quoted another tennis all-time great when she said, “I’m quoting Billie Jean King; Serena will retire as the greatest tennis player ever.”
Karen went on to tell Sam & Greg “The US Open was the first major title she won in 1999, so it seems pretty appropriate to finish there” when suggesting which tournament will be the last Williams will play.
One of Karen’s final comments on the remarkable career of Williams suggested, “On top of her Olympic Gold in singles, her and Venus won three gold medals in doubles together.”
Is Billie Jean King correct, is the case closed?
To listen to the entire conversation on Serena, download the link above