American tennis legend John McEnroe feels it is remarkable what Serena Williams has accomplished as he has described her as “the greatest player that ever lived.” Williams, 40, didn’t have a smooth path toward becoming an all-time great as the adversity she had to go through is well-documented.
But Williams never backed down to any challenge and now she is set to go down as not just as one of the greatest players in tennis history, but as one of players that sit on the Mount Rushmore of Sports. Williams’ story has served as an inspiration to many athletes, especially from the African-American community.
For instance, Cori Gauff and Frances Tiafoe several times spoke about how Williams inspired them to believe that everything was possible.
McEnroe on Williams: The greatest player that ever lived
“You can look at the accomplishments, she has the Grand Slam victories,” McEnroe said of Williams’ career, per Eurosport.
“The way that she moves the needle when she plays, it’s like Tiger Woods and golf. When she plays, it’s a whole different story. Off the court, I don’t know [her] as well, I know that she’s had a lot of difficulties in her life that she talks about in her own documentaries, but she has come out the other end as this icon, global superstar.
Her story alone, what she represents as someone who’s an African-American girl who came from a tough situation, and became the greatest player that ever lived. What that represents for us, and maybe around the world, is an opportunity that it can happen to anyone potentially.”
Williams is set to end her professional career after this year’s US Open. Williams is just 1-3 this season and she is not among favorites for the title. But knowing Williams, she will absolutely leave it all out there and give her best to go out with a bang.
