Father Time and a crop of young talent are finally catching up with Serena Williams

There is no mystery that the number 24 ranks high among the reasons Serena Williams still wants to do this, even at a stage of her life where tennis and motherhood both occupy her time and her body isn’t as cooperative as it was even a few years ago when she was cranking out Grand Slams at a record pace. 

Right now, the quest for one more Slam that would tie Margaret Court’s all-time record, is still on. But Saturday’s third-round loss to 20-year old Sofia Kenin at the French Open was perhaps the most stark reminder yet of the reality of the situation. 

With her 23 majors, Williams has a clear claim as the greatest women’s tennis player of all-time. But at age 37 with a creaky knee, a light tour schedule that leaves her short on match preparation and deteriorating form (of late) when she does show up to play, it should now be considered an upset if Williams can match Court, much less surpass her. 

Two things about that. 

Serena Williams was knocked out of the French Open by fellow American Sofia Kenin. (Photo: Clive Brunskill, Getty Images)

Court having more Grand Slams, if that’s the way Williams’ career finishes, should be totally irrelevant. Foremost among those reasons is that Court won 11 of those titles at the Australian Open, completely dominating in the 1960s when few of the world’s top players even bothered to make the long trip there. It doesn’t diminish what a great player Court was in her era, but it absolutely skews the Grand Slam count. 

Second, it would be unwise to completely count Serena out, particularly at Wimbledon. Even with ideal preparation and circumstances, winning another French Open was probably going to be beyond her reach at this point given how challenging the clay has been throughout her career. On the grass, where the rallies are shorter and her serve can still be a big factor, she’ll always have a chance.

But Saturday’s 6-2, 7-5 loss to Kenin, who had never previously been past the third round of a major, seemed like a moment that revealed what kind of challenge Williams now faces in the Grand Slams. 

It’s not just the young stars like Naomi Osaka, Sloane Stephens and Garbiñe Muguruza who have shown both the poise to win Grand Slams and the ability to absorb Williams’ power in pressure moments. Now, to win a title, you have to also get through a whole generation of oncoming talents early in these tournaments like Kenin and 17-year old American Amanda Anisimova, who also advanced to the Round of 16 on Saturday.

And they’re not afraid of her. 

It is already an incredible accomplishment that Williams came back from a pregnancy and childbirth that caused potentially life-threatening complications to make both the Wimbledon and U.S. Open finals last year. 

Though the odds seemed long that she could mount that quick of a comeback, she was able to reach a level last summer that made it seem like more majors were coming in 2019 and beyond. 

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