American boxing legend Mike Tyson once vehemently pushed back against the claim that Serena Williams was the best women’s tennis player, surpassing Martina Navratilova at her peak. Tyson argued that Navratilova’s consistency gave her the edge over the younger American.
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For years, the GOAT debate in women’s tennis revolved around Martina Navratilova and Steffi Graf due to their unparalleled success.

Graf won a remarkable 22 Major singles titles, made history by achieving the calendar year Golden Slam, and spent a record-breaking 377 weeks as World No. 1.

Navratilova’s accomplishments were just as staggering as she established an Open Era record by clinching a total of 59 Grand Slam titles, comprising 18 in singles, 31 in women’s doubles, and 10 in mixed doubles.

 

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However, the rise of Serena Williams added a new dimension to the conversation. By the 2010 Australian Open, the American had secured 12 Major titles and showed no signs of slowing down as she inched closer to Navratilova and Graf’s tallies.

However, not everyone saw Williams as their equal, with Mike Tyson among them..

In a conversation with renowned tennis journalist Scoop Malinowski for Tennis-prose.com, Tyson deemed Martina Navratilova the “greatest as he reminisced about playing tennis with the 18-time Grand Slam champion when she stayed at his home in New Jersey.

“I hit with Martina Navratilova when she stayed at my house in New Jersey (Bernardsville). I played with her. She was the greatest,” he said.

Malinowski pushed back against Tyson’s claim, asserting that Serena Williams would overwhelm Navratilova with her powerful baseline game in the modern era of tennis.

However, the boxing legend refused to budge from his stance, emphasizing that self-control and composure would win out over raw power.

“It’s not about intensity and power. It’s about calm and self control,” Tyson said.

When Malinowski insisted that Williams would beat the former World No. 1 in a showdown at their respective peaks, Mike Tyson contended that one match didn’t reflect the consistency and longevity Martina Navratilova had displayed.

 

He also questioned why Serena Williams hadn’t surpassed the Czech-American’s legacy if she was indeed the best. “In one match, both at their best, Serena takes her out, she’s just too strong,” Malinowski argued.

“On majors, you have Serena Williams; if you go a different way, then it would be me or Steffi Graf” – Martina Navratilova on GOAT debate in women’s tennis

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Martina Navratilova herself once expressed frustration at being overlooked in favor of Steffi Graf in the GOAT debate, arguing that there was no metric that could conclusively determine who was the greatest between them.

 

However, Navratilova’s perspective shifted somewhat after Serena Williams surpassed Graf’s tally by winning her 23rd Grand Slam title.

In a 2020 interview with the Tennis Channel, the former World No. 1 asserted that Williams could claim the title of the greatest according to her Slam count but maintained that she or Graf won out in other metrics.

“If you just go on majors, then you have Serena Williams. If you go a different way, then it would be me or Steffi Graf, perhaps Margaret Court. It just depends how you want to measure that,” Navratilova said.

Martina Navratilova also expressed her belief Serena Williams wanted to reach the milestone of 24 Grand Slam titles, not just for the GOAT status but to equal Margaret Court’s all-time record. However, Williams failed to claim the elusive trophy before her retirement in 2022.