ITF

SERENA WILLIAMS ITF World Summer 2022 17 I first met Serena in Hilton Head at the Family Circle Cup when she was ten. Serena and Venus were there with the players in the tournament, they were there doing a little exhibition and clinic. I'd heard about them for a couple of years, but to be able to see them was pretty remarkable. At the time it was all about Venus, but you could see the athleticism and strength that Serena had as a young player. But, even more so, eyes wide open, just absorbing everything. That was impressive to me. I don't think anyone ever knew they would be great. I don't think anyone imagined the level of success. We knew early on as I started to see her as a 14 or15 year-old – you knew she was destined for greatness, but you can't put a label on anybody at that age as to what they end up accomplishing. Serena is the greatest athlete of all time, not just the greatest tennis player of all time. That's a pretty big statement – I'm not the only one that has said that, I'm not the first or the last to say it. To be in this game and for three decades, and to amass the titles that she did. In so few tournaments – people don't realise that for many years she played half a year, and every time she came back, she won a major or she won a big tournament. The Greatest Athlete of all Time… Katrina Adams, former player and ITF Board Vice-President, reflects exclusively for ITFWorld on the legacy of Serena Williams, as the 23-time Grand Slam champion comes to the end of her glittering tennis career.

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