Wimbledon finalist and former World No. 13 Nick Kyrgios is not shy when sharing his opinions on the game or his fellow tennis players. While he has already shared his take on whether Novak Djokovic or Roger Federer are the greatest players of all time, he also weighed in the debate on the women’s side.
The Australian was one of several players, including four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, who has said that Serena Williams is the greatest female player of all time. This admission came in the 2022 US Open, the tournament in which Williams retired.
In an exchange with the press, according to the tournament’s official website, Kyrgios was asked who was the GOAT in women’s tennis. “I’d say Serena, no? Who do you think?” he responded. When the journalist named Steffi Graf, Martina Navratilova and Margaret Court, Kyrgios replied, smiling: “There’s so much I want to say, but I’m just going to say Serena.”
There are arguments for all of them. Margaret Court, who played in the amateur era and the early part of the Open Era, won 24 Grand Slam singles titles, though only seven of those came in the Open Era. On the other hand, Steffi Graf won 22 Grand Slam singles titles and is the only player, male or female, to have achieved the Year Golden Slam, winning all four majors and the Olympic gold medal in the same year (1988).
Meanwhile, Martina Navratilova set a record with 167 WTA singles titles, 18 Grand Slam singles titles, and holds the record for the most Wimbledon singles titles (9) in history. Serena Williams, for her part, won 23 Grand Slam singles titles and is the only player to complete the career Golden Slam in both doubles and singles, with three doubles and one singles Olympic gold medal.
Serena’s impact goes beyond the tennis court
Apart from her incredible numbers, Serena, alongside her sister Venus, is widely recognized as one of the most influential tennis players, revolutionizing the WTA with a new, powerful style of play while also inspiring a new generation of players such as Coco Gauff, Naomi Osaka, and Sloane Stephens.
Additionally, Serena remains the most popular female tennis player globally, with 19% of tennis fans naming her as their favorite player (YouGov, 2023). In the United States, her fame and popularity are unmatched—she holds 91% fame and 63% popularity among all adults, according to YouGov’s data for the last quarter of 2024.