Serena Williams was looking to make history at the US Open in 2014.
Williams was a 17-time Grand Slam champion at the time, with her last Grand Slam title coming at the 2013 US Open.
However, she had been unable to surpass the fourth round of any Grand Slam tournament heading into the US Open that year.
After winning her 18th Grand Slam title at the US Open, Williams admitted she could never have dreamt of being compared to two legendary players in particular.
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What Serena Williams admitted she ‘could never have imagined’ after winning the 2014 US Open
Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert are two of the greatest players of all time, with the former rivals winning 18 Grand Slam titles each.
Williams had struggled to win an 18th Grand Slam prior to the 2014 US Open, but she completely tore through the competition in New York that year.
The American did not drop a single set, culminating in a final victory over her friend Caroline Wozniacki.
Williams was very emotional after the match, and was joined by Navratilova and Evert for the on-court trophy ceremony.
In her post-match press conference, Williams was asked if her emotions were related to matching their records.
“Yes, it was definitely the number 18,” said Williams. “I have been trying to reach it for so long, since last year. Well, since the beginning of the year. I didn’t really think would I get there. I just felt so good.”
When continuing to be asked about equalling the two greats, Williams explained why she could not believe how far she had come.
“It means a lot to me,” continued Williams. “You know, I just could never have imagined that I would be mentioned with Chris Evert or with Martina Navratilova, because I was just a kid with a dream and a racket.
“Living in Compton, you know, this never happened before. You know, I just never could have imagined that it could have ended — not ended. I’m just beginning. Well, I’m not beginning, but I could have gotten this far, you know. So it was just — I think it was — and then it was eluding me for three tournaments, I guess. But, still that’s a lot for me. I was like, you know, really excited to get it.”
What Chris Evert said when asked if Serena Williams is the greatest of all time
Four years after the 2014 US Open final, Williams had won five more Grand Slam titles and had also overtaken Steffi Graf as the woman with the most major titles in the Open Era.
When asked if she thought Williams was the greatest player of all time in 2018, Evert told CBS Sports that she thought she was, but suggested there will be another player who will overtake the 23-time Grand Slam champion.
“I think it’s apples and oranges,” said Evert. “The one thing you can say is that Serena is the best tennis player that we’ve seen, but up until my era and Martina’s era, Steffi’s era, that was true as well. The standards get higher and higher.”
WTA Player
Grand Slam titles won in the Open Era
Serena Williams
23
Steffi Graf
22
Martina Navratilova & Chris Evert
18
Margaret Court
11
Monica Seles
9
Williams would never win another Grand Slam title, despite reaching four more finals after her 23rd title victory.
The US Open would be the final tournament of the career of Williams, but she has been predicted to make a shock return in doubles in 2025.
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