OT: Is Serena the greatest female athlete ever?

Submitted by superstringer on

Serena Williams won her 22nd Grand Slam today, straight sets over some other tennis player.

I've heard it debated before so I'll toss it out here.  Is she she greatest female athlete ever (any sport)?  She first attained the wold #1 ranking in 2002; and it's 14 years later and she's #1 again. Hasn't been there consistently, but over and over.

Is she the greatest woman tennis player ever?  Given the longevity of her career--probably.  I guess you can quesiton if she's had the rivals that prior players have had; or, you could say, she's been so dominant no one could match her.  As the money in tennis keeps going up over time, and training and medicine improve, I find it hard to believe that the overall quality of tennis players has dropped.  So I'd say, it's hard to argue she's the best female tennis player ever.

Is she the best woman athlete ever?  Tennis players will tell you, their sports is the most gruelling and requires the most athleticism. It's hard to think of someone who's dominated her sport for as long as she has.  But then again, most womens' sports haven't had the level of professional ranks like tennis, so it's hard to be a woman athlete and "dominant" into your 30s if yo'ure not a golfer or tennis player.

But I guess to me this is the proof:  Who else would you say instead of Serena?  I can't think of anyone, other than maybe tennis players, but since I think she's the greatest of all tennis players that means she has no other rivals from other sports.

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BleedsBlue

July 9th, 2016 at 3:08 PM ^

Cheryl Miller? If we're talking a woman that dominated her competition. I'm thinking in Babe's case that there weren't many organized sports for women. Add that at the time it was widely believed a woman's place was in the home raising children and what have you. If woman's sports we're a little more prevalent then, I think Babe would have had some competition.

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BleedsBlue

July 9th, 2016 at 3:09 PM ^

Cheryl Miller? If we're talking a woman that dominated her competition. I'm thinking in Babe's case that there weren't many organized sports for women. Add that at the time it was widely believed a woman's place was in the home raising children and what have you. If woman's sports we're a little more prevalent then, I think Babe would have had some competition.

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Ty Butterfield

July 9th, 2016 at 3:26 PM ^

Wondering how Serena would do at MLB? Seems like she would be able to move well laterally and have great closing speed. Probably could have used her on some of those RR defenses.

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MotownGoBlue

July 9th, 2016 at 5:50 PM ^

Depends on her SPARQ score... Any wild guesses? Obviously joking here but I did do some basic googling and can't seem to find any definitive numbers for women's 40 times.

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beef supreme

July 9th, 2016 at 5:56 PM ^

Men's and women's game have both been weak for quite some time. That her recent streak of dominance started well into her 30's illustrates this quite nicely. That no one is coming up and even consistently being number two is disturbing for the sport.

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Erik_in_Dayton

July 9th, 2016 at 6:17 PM ^

She won three gold, one silver, and two bronze medals in the Olympics in the heptathlon and the long jump. She still has the top six scores in the heptathlon and the second best long jump. She also played a bit of pro basketball.

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Sopwith

July 9th, 2016 at 6:51 PM ^

in these kinds of discussions, at least not in the modern era. As far as I can tell, there are only two kinds of track and field athletes in the world: those who get busted for PEDs, and those who get away with it. It sucks for the clean athletes, but anyone who stands out that much, honestly, I'm automatically suspicious. Enforcement has been a joke for decades, and WADA didn't even exist before '99.

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A Fan In Fargo

July 9th, 2016 at 6:56 PM ^

Wow, really? LMFAO Tennis? She is good at tennis true. Best female athlete ever? Yall need to get with the picture. I can look at her physique and tell you NO right at this very instant. No disrespect but she isn't that different breed of cat. Not even close and not even a question my man. Geez how blind are some of you guys sometimes? I can name one right off of the top of my head that would probably destroy her in every other sport imaginable but tennis and that is Jackie Joyner Kersee. Whoop her ass left and right. 

http://www.biography.com/people/jackie-joyner-kersee-9358710/videos/jac…

Edit: Oh and if they both lined up on a tennis court in both of their primes, I'd take Jackie because she was on a different level as an athlete. Kind of like a Jabril Peppers. Aliens man!

 

Jackie Joyner-Kersee

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SAMgO

July 9th, 2016 at 7:45 PM ^

Tennis players are truly some of the best athletes in the world. The stamina of a Federer (especially in older age) Djokovic or Williams is amazing. Don't be so quick to belittle their athletic competence.



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Dr. Emil Shuffhausen

July 9th, 2016 at 9:16 PM ^

so No, not the Greatest anything.  Look how long Lance Armstrong

got away with it.  The truth will come out one day and I still

won't give a shit.  To hell with all the cheaters.

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m83econ

July 9th, 2016 at 10:00 PM ^

This is like asking if Tiger Woods is the greatest athlete of all time.  Dominating a sport like golf or tennis really doesn't imply elite athleticism.  Serena & Venus do what they were raised to do - be great tennis players.  

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Dr. Emil Shuffhausen

July 9th, 2016 at 10:07 PM ^

There are many in the tennis world who strongly

believe she's uses roids and I believe them.  Other

PED's,  yeah, why not? 

If it helps a cheater win and they think they

can beat the system, of course they'll use it.

 

As for the technicality of Lance, you are right.. mostly.

"However, he did admit that he received a back-dated therapeutic user exemption certificate for a cream containing steroids at the 1999 Tour to ensure he did not test positive."

 

 

 

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Wolfman

July 10th, 2016 at 3:00 AM ^

a person trained or gifted in exercises or contests involving physical agility, stamina, or strength; a participant in a sport, exercise, or game requiring physical skill.
 
When I think of athlete, I think more along the lines of SPARQ testing, which is closer to track and field than any one particular sport because even track and field is divided into so many different areas of sport. 
 
While it's true that Curry is the best shooter of the basketball we've seen in a long time, maybe ever, I think more in the terms of Michael or LeBron when I think of greatest basketball player. 
 
Athlete to me means running, speed and endurance, jumping, vertical and horizontal; mixture thereof, hurdles, a test of speed, interrupted by short jumps, you get the picture. It could be true the greatest male athlete at one time is now a woman, but at that time I think he/she tested out o.k. as to gender and she wouldn't have anything to gain by going the tougher route, unless it was the title of world's greatest athlete. 
 
I think Serena is, without a doubt, the greatest women's tennis player of all time, maybe w/o regard to sex based on titles and longevity. But I'd have to see her line up with someone on the track, turn around and play them in basketball, softball, golf, et. al., before I could comfortably name her greatest female athlete. Don't know what they pay tennis players but I have a feeling she probably has made more money than any other women athlete. No matter what she is, she is a great athlete because her quickness, strength and hand-eye coordination certainly show up in her chosen game.  
 
On that, I'll add a question. Because I knew they get paid, does anytone really think it takes an athlete to be a great bowler?  
 

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