‘A Pit Bull Dog, a Young Mike Tyson and an Alligator’- ‘King’ Richard Once Delivered a Perfect Description to Serena Williams’ On-Court Rage

Serena Williams is one of the greatest athletes of all time. The 23 times Grand Slam champion has piled up many records and her name will shine in the books of tennis forever. Therefore, it won’t be wrong to say that Williams is too familiar with the taste of victory.

She, undoubtedly, worked hard and has all the right to celebrate her achievements. But Williams is the kind of person who has always had a demeanor that showcased how she saw her wins coming. Except for that one time, when she herself was wowed by her performance. 

A side of Serena that even Richard never saw

In the year 2008, Williams secured her third US Open trophy and had a rare response to it. So much so that it surprised her father, Richard Williams, as well. He later admitted, “I never knew Serena to be very, very excited.”

“I knew Serena to be very, very mean. I describe her as being a combination of a pit bulldog, a young Mike Tyson, and an alligator,” Richard added. Williams, post her victory against the Serbian tennis ace Jelena Janković on the hard courts of the US Open, flung her racket high into the sky. Further, she was hovering, hopping, and expressing her happiness to an extent which was over the top, even in her own parameters. 

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In fact, she apologized to Janković when they met on the net. “I’m sorry I got so excited,” she said. However, in her defense, the win came at a very crucial time and meant a lot for her career. As she, after a six-year-long drought, finally clinched the American majors. Also, she rose from the ranking of WTA 139 and claimed the crown of World No 1 for the first time since August 2003. 

The most impressive record of Serena Williams

The former World No 1 claimed a total of 73 singles and 23 doubles trophies in her over 25-year-long career, and while doing so she became the entity with the most Grand Slam victories in the Open era. She is only second to Margaret Court in the all-time record. 

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Williams, just like the veteran Chris Evert, defeated her opponents over 100 times in home-based majors. Further, she was only two wins away from touching the same milestone in the greens of London. She would have shared the pedestal with the nine times Wimbledon champion Martina Navratilova and the Swiss legend Roger Federer.