By Randy Walker
@TennisPublisher
It was indeed an historical moment in tennis when Serena Williams won her 18th major tennis championship at the 2014 U.S. Open.
Serena’s 18th title – won with a 63 63 win over Caroline Wozniacki – tied her with two of the most legendary figures in the sport – Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova.
A magical moment in the sport was created when at the end of the trophy presentation ceremony Evert and Navratilova walked on court to present Serena with an 18-karat gold bracelet – engraved with an “18” – to welcome her to the “18 Club.”
In the pantheon of women tennis greats, Serena, Evert and Navratilova rank second all-time in major singles titles won in the Open Era (since 1968) – all three trailing Steffi Graf with 22 titles. Where does Serena exactly stack up against her fellow “18 Club” members Evert and Navratilova and how does she compare with Graf? The chart below will spell out an interesting comparison between the four all-time greats from the Open Era.
Martina Navratilova
Won her 18th major singles title at Wimbledon in 1990
Age when winning 18th major: 33 years, 8 months
Number of majors played when winning 18th major: 56
Chris Evert
Won her 18th major at the French Open in 1986
Age when winning 18th major: 31 years, five months
Number of majors played when winning 18th major: 45
Serena Williams
Won her 18th major at the U.S. Open in 2014
Age when winning 18th major: 32 years, 11 months
Number of majors played when winning 18th major: 57
Steffi Graf
Won 22 majors in her career.
Age when she won her 18th major (at the 1995 US Open): 26 years, 2 months
1995 US Open was her 44th major
Age when she won her 22nd and final major at 1999 French Open: 29 years, 11 months
Rick Macci, the childhood coach of Serena and her older sister Williams, told Chris Clarey of the New York Times here: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/06/sports/tennis/with-a-youthful-ferocity-serena-williams-nears-another-us-open-title.html?_r=1 that he believes that Serena can win 25 majors. Time will tell if she has another seven majors singles titles in her. In the grand scope of tennis, Serena has to win one more major title to tie pre-Open era superstar Helen Wills Moody with 19 majors titles – the most number of majors won by an American. Above Graf and her 22 majors is Margaret Court, who won a women’s record 24 majors spanning the pre-and post-Open Era of tennis.
To keep track of all tennis history, pre-order the updated version of “The Bud Collins History of Tennis” here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1937559386/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_e4qdub0K5XQA7
To read more about Serena Williams, her competitive spirit as a young player, order the Macci authored book: “Macci Magic: Extracting Greatness From Yourself And Others” here: http://www.amazon.com/Macci-Magic-Extracting-Greatness-Yourself/dp/1937559254/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1410141758&sr=1-1
