Tennis is the world’s 7th hardest sport to play, according to an ESPN survey. The tournament rules make it hard for the professionals to earn titles, let alone a Grand Slam. One loss and the player is out of the tournament, no second chances. WTA alone has more than 1,000 professionals who compete to win at least one major in their lifetime. But three legendary women achieved twenty-plus majors. While Margaret Court is indisputably the best of her time, the G.O.A.T. debate is still open between Serena Williams and Steffi Graf, the only women with 20-plus major titles in the Open Era.

Serena and Graf were introduced to the sport by their fathers. Richard coached the American to become a professional at 14, while Peter coached the German to become a professional at just 13. The rest is history; October 1, 1999, has a ‘Golden’ importance in the world of tennis. The year also served as the perfect epitome for the famous saying ‘the end is the beginning’.

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The 22-time Slam champion has captured the people’s hearts for her versatile forehand shot. Her inside-out forehand is still considered one of the best in the tennis world. The German tennis legend made her mark just five years after turning professional, and the tennis world is still searching for a player to match the feat. In 1988, Graf started the year by winning her first Australian Open. Incredibly, she followed it up by winning the rest of the three Grand Slams that year.

Later, in the Summer Olympics, the Frauline Forehand smashed everyone till she secured a Gold Medal, thereby achieving the historic Golden Slam. 1st October marks the 26th anniversary of the German’s Golden Slam year. Graf won her first Grand Slam in 1987 when she was 17. A year later, she scripted history when Americans dominated the game in both men’s and women’s tennis. She was dubbed the Golden Girl for her unrepeated record and thus became a household name.

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Serena was only eight years old when Graf was reigning on the court. Six years later, she became a professional when the Golden Girl had become the undefeatable queen of the game. The American faced the German legend for the first time in 1999, four years after she turned professional.

The latter won in the clash between youth and experience, but Serena did not hand over the match on a platter. She won a set against Graf, a feat that more experienced players struggled to achieve.

The two legends faced each other only twice in the year before Graf retired. ReRe had her revenge in the second match at the Indian Wells Masters finals, and the scores of both matches were almost similar. The only difference was the first set scores, 6-2 and 6-3.

Judging by their brief encounters, Graf held an edge over Serena, with a difference of just one game. After that, the German did not play many tour matches and dropped the retirement bombshell in August. Coincidentally, in 1999, Momma Smash had the first best season of her career.

Momma Smash rose to new heights with encouragement from Graf

The then 30-year-old Graf won the French Open title and was runner-up at the Wimbledon Championships. But a hamstring injury forced her to retire from her last match. The end of Graf’s era is also the beginning of Serena’s dominance.

The first rival that the American had to overcome was her sister, thus creating probably the most famous sibling rivalry the sports world has ever witnessed. Immediately after the Golden Girl, Venus Williams dominated the circuit.

But little sister Serena caught up in a blink, and the former World No. 1 Graf motivated her through the journey. In a 2015 press conference at Cincinnati, the American champion expressed feeling like a kid whenever Graf talks about her.

When the American tennis legend made it to the 20-plus Grand Slam club, the Fraulein Forehand cheered for Momma Smash as she achieved her 6th Wimbledon and 22nd major title in 2016. The 23-time Slam champion achieved the Serena Slam (winning all four Grand Slams in a row – not necessarily in the same year) for the second time the following year by winning her 23rd major in Melbourne.

In 2017, the Compton-born superstar became the first woman in the Open Era to have the most major titles. Serena won her 23rd Slam while she was six weeks pregnant. However, while the 6-time US Open champion took 25 years to achieve 23 Slams, Graf achieved 22 majors in just 18 years. The German legend retired at her peak when she was the WTA World No.3, and Serena retired when she was ranked 320, mainly due to her year-long absence after suffering a hamstring injury in the 2021 Wimbledon Championships.

The Golden Girl has 107 singles titles, while the American queen has 73. But Graf never focused on doubles like Serena did. The German has only one doubles Slam title at Wimbledon, and mixed doubles were never her forte. However, Serena has 14 Grand Slam doubles titles and two mixed doubles titles.

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The American dominates the Grand Slams with 36 titles, while the German has 23. But Graf’s ranking and win percentage compensated for her doubles career. So, when analysts and pundits expressed their mixed opinions on who is the greatest, another G.O.A.T. dished out her honest ruling.

Margaret Court delivers her G.O.A.T. verdict between Serena and Graf

When Serena was in the last year of her professional career, the Australian declared Graf the greatest player. In an interview with Australian media, the 24-time Grand Slam champion picked her favorites among the WTA legends. She picked Graf as her first due to the German’s athleticism and style. Court revealed that the Golden Girl is her favorite and loved watching her game. Serena was picked after Graf as the 2nd best, and the Australian said that ReRe’s record speaks for itself and she loves Serena’s serve.

The German holds the record for 377 cumulative weeks as the World No.1, while Serena spent 317 weeks in her relatively long career. But then, there are Olympics in which the American dominated, with 4 Gold medals, and Graf has one. Nonetheless, the Golden Girl is the only tennis player to have won each Grand Slam at least four times.

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Serena could not achieve this due to her French Open titles, which did not exceed 3. Both legends are tied at five for winning the WTA Finals. But the overall win percentage is led by Graf, with 89.7%, while the American halted at 86.8%. Momma Smash’s longevity allowed her to bag the most career wins and matches played among women, including the most hard court titles (47). The Hall of Famer holds another ‘short’ record that brings the debates to square one.

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Graf holds the record of winning a Grand Slam final in just 34 minutes. She won the 1988 French Open against Natasha Zvereva in straight bagels. The German achieved incredible feats like an artist finishing a sculpture. Smooth, simple, and perfect.

Serena’s hunger, willpower, and mental toughness are unmatched and she pushed herself to win every match, even though it meant playing through injuries, personal turmoil, and pregnancy.

The two former World No.1s have their records, and while the American hit the lowest point in her career once, Graf never did. She played as long as she could and retired when an injury bothered her. The German maintains a low profile and only appears when necessary, be it on social media or in person. There is no straight declaration of who is the greatest, and the liberty of picking favorites is on the fans and the pundits.

The number of hours the World champions dedicated to the sport is unimaginable, especially the American, as she spent more time on the circuit. A three-set tennis match typically lasts around 90 minutes. A major title requires seven wins in a row, an average of 63o playing minutes. Winning 20-plus Grand Slams means 140 wins, about 210 hours. Graf conquered the sport in a limited time, becoming the unbeatable champion. Serena broke barriers, revolutionized the sport, and pursued her other passion while remaining in the public eye among her fans. Who is the best among these two legendary figures? That solely depends on which way we look at it. Who is your pick?

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