The Battle for the Grand Slam Record: "Can Serena Do It?"

Serena Williams, former No. 1 tennis player, at the 2020 US Open. The US Open was Williams’ last stop on tour for the 2020 season. Williams’ was defeated in the semifinals by No. 14 Victoria Azarenka. (Google)

One player stands close to beating the record for the most Grand Slam Titles won ever, which is currently held by Margaret Court. 

To win or not to win. At least, that’s the question for Serena Williams, the previous No. 1 tennis player in the world. Williams is looking to tie and beat the world record for most Grand Slam titles held ever. Grand Slam titles include the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. 

Williams currently outranks players like Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal who have 20 and 19 Grand Slam titles respectively. According to the New York Times, Williams currently has 23 Grand Slam titles. This is just one shy of tying records with Court, and two shy of beating Court’s all-time record. 

However, Williams’ last Grand Slam title win was at the 2017 Australian Open before she had her daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. Since giving birth, she has struggled to win another Grand Slam title. 

I believe Williams can and will beat Court’s record of 24 Grand Slam titles, she’s just going to have to make some slight adjustments. According to Body and Soul, a health and wellness page, Williams’ pre-pregnancy training schedule was five days. However, according to Jacked Gorilla, another health and wellness page, Williams’ post-pregnancy training schedule is only three days.

Although it’s a small change, I believe that Williams’ decreased training schedule is contributing to her demise. If we look at her Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) statistics pre-pregnancy (2015-2017), she won four of eight Grand Slam titles. If we then look at her WTA statistics post-pregnancy (2018-2020), she hasn’t won a single Grand Slam title and in some cases, has struggled to even make it to the semifinals and final. 

Most likely, Williams’ decrease in training can be due to wanting to spend more time with her daughter. With this, I believe Williams is going to have to prioritize between training time or time with her daughter. She will have to pick one because even our favorite No. 1 tennis player can’t have her cake, and eat it too.