How Serena Williams’ former coach brought Simona Halep back from the brink of tennis retirement
Serena Williams has beaten the odds before – her mother has been in the top position for 20 years and she has her twin sister and an older sister who has won a Grand Slam title. The New York Times
Tennis legend Arthur Ashe was also not afraid of making the bold claim that no person in tennis history had made it to the final more often than Serena Williams. This is what he had to say about her –
“She’s the most complete tennis player I’ve ever seen in my life.”
Serena Williams is not afraid to say what she thinks, and what she thinks is that she is the best player in the history. It’s not just her ability to compete with the best that makes her unstoppable. Serena has more of a sense of her own greatness, says Arthur Ashe, who coached her from 2004 to 2008 as a teenager and played alongside her at the peak of her talent.
“She is such a rare bird, and I’m telling you Serena would not be the first one to say that,” was his response about Serena’s claim to be the best female player of all time. “Because her story is so exceptional.”
It was with these words that tennis legend Arthur Ashe set out to prove to the world that Serena wasn’t exaggerating just for attention, but was saying it with conviction.
“I have never met a bigger competitor,” Ashe told ESPN of Serena. “I think she’s really a phenomenal player, but I have never seen someone in her condition.”
Arthur, now 64, is right. Serena is an exceptional competitor, and when she was a teenager, she was playing with a swagger and confidence that was evident to anyone who had watched any of her matches at the US Open and the Australian Open. It meant that no matter the opponent or surface,