“Wimbledon, Serena Williams” (CC BY 2.0) by TennisStreaming

Serena Williams has done it all in women’s tennis – except for match and break Margaret Court’s all-time record for most Grand Slam singles titles.

In the Open Era, however, there has been nobody better. Not even Roger Federer, whose own stellar career in the men’s game runs contemporary, has enjoyed as much success as the younger Williams sister.

Serena has won each of the four Slams at least three times and by 2015 she had 21 major singles wins – more than any man has managed in any era. In the five years since, however, she has added just two more Grand Slam crowns.

Williams remains tantalisingly short of being called the best woman to ever grace the game outright. She has taken time out of tennis to start a family, however.

If you think that has changed her priorities, then Serena has still reached eight Grand Slam finals since 2015 but lost six. Since daughter Alexis Olympia was born in September 2017, Williams has twice gone all the way at Wimbledon and the US Open only to be bested by younger opposition.

Time waits for no-one and, at 38, it is not on Serena’s side. If her Roland Garros record is anything to go by, then clay is her poorest surface with just the four French Open final appearances there and relatively early exits in the last couple of years.

That explains tennis betting odds of 9/1 for Serena to win that Grand Slam for a fourth time in her career this year. She is a shorter price and 6/1 favourite for her home event, the US Open, however.

“US Open, Serena Williams” (CC BY 2.0) by Edwin Martinez1

Flushing Meadows is the site of a phenomenal record held by Williams. Bearing injury and pregnancy absences in mind from 2010 and 2017 respectively in mind, she has made the US Open semis or better in 10 of the last 12 years.

Williams’ win percentage in New York, like the grass courts of Wimbledon, is 89. A shade under nine times out of 10, she has blasted the opposition away at Flushing Meadows and in SW19 on summer forays to lawn tennis before going back to hard surfaces.

These superb stats are the reasons why bookies continue to have Serena prominent in their betting markets. She has been there, done that and got the t-shirt, and it doesn’t just apply to the women’s singles either.

Williams holds the career Grand Slam in doubles with older sister Venus. The siblings have 14 wins – at least twice in each of the four majors – together as a virtually unstoppable force.

When you add consecutive Olympic gold medals in singles and doubles from the Beijing and London Games of 2008 and 2012, five WTA Tour Finals titles, and Fed Cup and Hopman Cup successes, Serena’s CV is truly outstanding. She has even contested mixed doubles Grand Slam finals in all four venues, winning two – again at happy hunting ground Wimbledon and the US Open.Whether Williams can still level or surpass Court’s all-time record of 24 individual wins in the majors is down to desire now. She has nothing to prove to anyone, but it is the one accolade eluding her.