Well Serena collect Grand Slam #18 and should have a

[Islandman]

chance at breaking Steffi's record of 22 before she hangs up her racket.

She is already the GOAT in my book! Congrats!

[Mosiah]

I wish I could agree that Serena is the GOAT, but there is a certain player named Margaret Court whose records can never be touched by Serena or perhaps any other player.

The historians want to make a difference between the Open Era and before the Open Era, but, like Rod Laver, she proved there was no better out there.

Court won Grand Slam titles in singles (24), doubles (19) and mixed doubles (19). She won all the Grand Slam titles in each discipline, at least twice. At 17 she won her first Australian singles title and didn't relinquish the crwon until she won 6 more straight! Her all-time winning percentage in singles play across all surfaces is 91.74. Steffi's is 81.

I could go on and on but for me, she is in another stratosphere when it comes to tennis so maybe that's why earthlings like Steffi Graf is considered the pinnacle.

I am beginning to wonder if the Gay Agenda is not behind what seems like a plan to gray out the achievements of Margaret Court?!? She is firmly against homosexuality and gay marriage, and with Billy Jean King and Martina Navratilova being such huge figures in world tennis today, one can only wonder...

[Islandman]

But could she return one of Serena's devastating serves?

The women's game has changed a lot. Nuff more athleticism and power.

[Mosiah]

Well, if that's how we going to look at it, most likely the game will change some more in the next 20 years. What then?

The way I look at these things is we either simply compare the records as is, or we consider the greatest in a particular decade, era, or whatever. Because athletes will always be improving, so the athlete of yester year will never be as good as the athlete of today, rendering the acronym, GOAT, kinda silly.

No?

[Islandman]

Well, yes the whole idea of selecting a GOAT in an evolving sport is more of an intellectual exercise than a practical one.

We cannot really know if the champions of old would have been as dominant, or possibly even more dominant in a modern era where professionals are paid millions to achieve results, the rules are changed , where technology has changed equipment, analysis of strategy, strengths, weaknesses, etc.

Too many variables, We are really just guessing.

Some athletes would be great in any era, others, probably not. Championships matter but it cannot be the only measurement, particularly when you have a change as significant as the Open Era in tennis.

I watched some Margaret Court videos on youtube. Trust me, dem likkle powder puff hitting wouldn't werk tiday!! She would have had to be a different player. Maybe she would have been, maybe not. Remember when Hingis was dominating with her touch play, she was very good actually but when the Williams sisters, Davenport, etc came around she could not hang with them!

[Mosiah]

Everybody used to hit powder puff tennis balls because that's what wood racquets allowed. I remember the first time I hit with a Prince metal racquet, the one Roscoe Tanner used to throw down some 140 mph serves with, the difference was night and day!

It is said that Margaret Court was the first player to add a weights regimen to her workout and with her tall structure, her serves and overheads were amazing.

So, very difficult to compare different periods. Put a wood racquet in Serena's hand and see if she could beat Evert today!

[Islandman]

Put a wood racquet in Serena's hand and see if she could beat Evert today!

That is a valid point. My guess is that she probably couldn't.

That is similar todays T20 cricketers hitting sixes with impunity. It is more about the better bats than it is about their strength and ability. The ability of batsmen to clear the boundary has changed the way limited overs cricket is played. In the 80s with those same strokes they would be out caught on the boundary more often than not.

[Willi]

Ah who yuh a call GOAT.
But yuh rude and outtahaudah!

MDYADWL.