Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
NEW YORK — Even after Sunday afternoon’s dramatic U.S. Open women’s final, the WTA rankings will say that Victoria Azarenka is No. 1 in the world and Serena Williams is No. 4.
Yet anyone with a pair of eyes can see that Williams is not only the best player in the world right now, but more than likely the greatest ever.
“I think Serena’s playing the best I’ve ever seen,” John McEnroe said on CBS during the first set of Serena’s 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 victory in Arthur Ashe Stadium. “We’re watching, to me, the best female player that’s ever played this game.”
Granted, McEnroe’s comments came well before Williams lost the second set and fell behind 3-5 in the third. Azarenka showed tremendous guts and concussive power from the baseline to roar back — and seize the lead — but ultimately it was Serena who won the match, the Open and the $1.9 million winner’s check.
She has won 26 of her last 27 matches and 43 of 45.
“For me, she’s the greatest player of all time,” Azarenka said.
Williams, who turns 31 later this month, now has four U.S. Open championships and 15 majors.
This summer alone, she won the singles and doubles titles at Wimbledon and the Olympics, and now the U.S. Open. She improved to 10-1 all-time against Azarenka, the top-ranked woman in the world.
While much was written about Roger Federer’s pursuit of — and ultimate overtaking of — Pete Sampras’s then-record 14 Grand Slam titles (Federer now has 17), barely anyone talks about the women’s numbers.
Here they are.
Margaret Court Smith won 24 majors, though many of those came in the pre-Open Era before 1968.
Steffi Graff won 22 in the Open Era.
And Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova captured 18 apiece after 1968.
“Well done @serenawilliams , what a gutsy comeback in the third set,you are catching me and Chris , and I don’t like it:),” Tweeted Navratilova.
At this point, few would doubt that Serena on her best day would likely beat any of those women.
“I always believe that I’m the best, obviously,” Williams said after her semifinal victory.
She’s simply too strong, too powerful and her serve, which maxed out at 125 mph against Azarenka, is too much.
“The serve is what stands out the most of all the assets,” Azarenka said.
Williams, like Federer, said she has no plans to retire anytime soon.
It is not hard to imagine her tying, and ultimately passing, Evert and Navratilova’s 18 major by, say, the end of 2014.
She would need another four more after that — or seven more than she has at this moment — to tie Graf, who is married to Andre Agassi.
Williams would likely have to play well into her mid-30s to make that happen.
“She’s having that second push of her career that Andre Agassi had, winning majors after the age of 30,” Mary Carillo said on CBS.
The greatest ever, and still piling up the majors to prove it.
Photo: AP
Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle.
A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013.
He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.
NEW YORK — Even after Sunday afternoon’s dramatic U.S. Open women’s final, the WTA rankings will say that Victoria Azarenka is No. 1 in the world and Serena Williams is No. 4.
Yet anyone with a pair of eyes can see that Williams is not only the best player in the world right now, but more than likely the greatest ever.
“I think Serena’s playing the best I’ve ever seen,” John McEnroe said on CBS during the first set of Serena’s 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 victory in Arthur Ashe Stadium. “We’re watching, to me, the best female player that’s ever played this game.”
Granted, McEnroe’s comments came well before Williams lost the second set and fell behind 3-5 in the third. Azarenka showed tremendous guts and concussive power from the baseline to roar back — and seize the lead — but ultimately it was Serena who won the match, the Open and the $1.9 million winner’s check.
She has won 26 of her last 27 matches and 43 of 45.
“For me, she’s the greatest player of all time,” Azarenka said.
Williams, who turns 31 later this month, now has four U.S. Open championships and 15 majors.
This summer alone, she won the singles and doubles titles at Wimbledon and the Olympics, and now the U.S. Open. She improved to 10-1 all-time against Azarenka, the top-ranked woman in the world.
While much was written about Roger Federer’s pursuit of — and ultimate overtaking of — Pete Sampras’s then-record 14 Grand Slam titles (Federer now has 17), barely anyone talks about the women’s numbers.
Here they are.
Margaret Court Smith won 24 majors, though many of those came in the pre-Open Era before 1968.
Steffi Graff won 22 in the Open Era.
And Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova captured 18 apiece after 1968.
“Well done 