Sunday, July 14, 2019

Ageless

Here is one headline you will see from Wimbledon this morning, on the day after Simona Halep played the match of her life to erase Serena Williams 6-2, 6-2 in 56 minutes in the women's final:

Serena Williams Loses Her 3rd Consecutive Grand Slam Final.

What that headline doesn't tell you is that Serena Williams is 37 years old.

What it also doesn't tell you is she stopped playing competitive tennis for awhile, had a baby, and then, in her mid-30s, launched a comeback, which never happens.

What it also doesn't tell you is, in spite of all that, she's still ranked 10th in the world. And, of course, has reached three consecutive Grand Slam singles finals, which you kind of have to do to lose them.

Three consecutive Grand Slam singles finals. At 37.

If she and Roger Federer -- who, at almost 38, plays Novak Djokovic for the men's title this morning, and is still one of the top three male players in the world -- are not the wonder of this or any other tennis age, it's hard to fathom who is. Because you want to know what some of Serena's predecessors were doing at her age?

Steffi Graf had been retired for seven years and was seven years past her last Grand Slam title.

Chris Evert had been retired for three years and was six years past her last Grand Slam singles title.

Billie Jean King was also six years past her last Grand Slam singles title, and Martina Navratilova was three years past her last Grand Slam singles title.

This would suggest, among many other things that would suggest it, that Serena Williams is the greatest women's tennis player of all time.

Suggests?

Shoot. It straight-up confirms it.

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