Serena Greatest of All-Time?

Serena Williams is on the cusp of becoming the first player since Steffi Graf in 1988 to win all four majors titles in one season and her 22nd major championship at the U.S. Open later this week.  This has us thinking, is Williams the best women's tennis player of all-time?

Williams, 33, is miles ahead her nearest opponent; that being world no. 2 Simona Halep who at the moment has less than double the amount of ranking points Williams has.  She is undoubtedly the best ever then, right?

That's debatable, but lets supply you with some well needed info to take into consideration and help you decide.

Let's take into account that Serena won her first major at the age of 17 and became world no. 1 at the age of 21.  Feats like this are nearly unheard of in tennis in today's day in age.

She also had her setbacks.  During what most consider the prime of a tennis players career, from ages 22-25, Williams only won one major title.  Many at the time questioned her commitment to tennis at the time, only for her to regain form.  Williams also had a major setback in 2011 as she suffered a pulmonary embolism and lacerated tendon.  At that moment in her career she was tied with Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert with 18 major titles.

The only knock on Serena Williams' career could possibly be that her competition is weaker than that of Graf, Navratilova, and Monica Seles.  For instance, women's tennis was so weak that from 2008-2012 that Dinara Safina, Jelena Jankovic, and Caroline Wozniaki spent more than 2 years combined as world no. 1 without winning a single major.

Is it possible that Williams is the best women's tennis player of all-time?  Yes.  But is it fair to compare Williams with the past legends of the game?  No.

Serena Williams has cemented her legacy in tennis history and it looks as though there is another chapter left to be written later this week.  Williams faces her sister Venus later today in the U.S. Open quarterfinals.

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