Serena Williams: Time is running out to make history

After missing a prime opportunity at Wimbledon because of injury, Serena Williams is running out of time to tie and surpass Margaret Court’s singles championship record.

With Noami Osaka out and other competitors dealing with injuries, Wimbledon 2021 was a golden opportunity for Serena Williams to capture a record-tying 24th major. The tennis legend had her own ailments to deal with heading in, but the weakened field still made this trip to the grass tournament one that Williams could have run away with.

Unfortunately, a fall in the sixth game of the first set against Aliaksandra Sasnovich forced Williams to retire. She injured her hamstring during the slip, and she withdrew from Wimbledon. Another opportunity missed for Williams to make even more tennis history.

There is no denying that Serena Williams is one of the greatest athletes of all time. She’s dominated the sport, made an immense influence on the game and has overcome adversity to do so. Anything she does from this point on is just gravy on top of a phenomenal career.

However, the reality is that time is running out for the 23-time singles champion to tie and break Margaret Court’s majors record.

Time is running out on Serena Williams’ quest to break Margaret Court’s singles championship record

Margaret Court set the singles championship record in 1973 at 30 years old, and it hasn’t been broken in 48 years. It’s surreal to think that Serena Williams has a legitimate shot at breaking Court’s longtime record. She’s nine years older, which would make her breaking the feat even more impressive. But the clock is ticking on how much time she has left to do so.

At 39 years old, it’s no secret that Williams is closer to the end of her career than she is the beginning. She’s entering uncharted territory also, as not many women tennis players have had sustained success past 40. No woman has won a major past the age of 40, and only 16 women have won a singles title age 32 or older, per WTA.com

Even so, Williams has proven again and again that she is a different kind of athlete. She’s the oldest woman to win a major and the oldest woman ranked No. 1 in WTA rankings. Let’s not forget she won the 2017 Australian Open while pregnant with her daughter, Olympia. There aren’t many players that can do what Williams has.

But injuries have become an issue for her as of late. Her hamstring injury from her fall at Wimbledon is just one of the many injuries Williams has faced over the years. In 2016, knee inflammation caused her to miss some time, including the Hopman Cup, according to Essentially Sports. Knee injuries have been a problem for the tennis star since 2004.

In 2020, she dealt with shoulder issues that caused her to withdraw from the Rogers Cup, and an Achillies’ issue caused her to end her season early. Father Time (or Mother in this instance), hasn’t lost yet, and could be catching up to the 39-year-old.

Injuries happen in sports, but the older one gets, the harder it is to recover from an injury. Williams has the internal drive to recover no doubt, but can she move faster than her body can heal? Only she knows the true answer to that question.

Nevertheless, her first objective will be to get 100 percent healthy in time for the U.S. Open in September. Her birthday is that month, and there would be no better gift than a record-tying 24th major on her 40th birthday. The harder surface courts put more wear on the body, so Williams will have to make sure her body is healed and ready for the grind.

The competition should be tougher there, as many big names should be ready to go by then like Osaka, Ashy Barty and more. She’s won the U.S. Open six times in her career, the last time being in 2014. She’s reached the Finals in 2018 and 2019 but lost. This will be  Williams’ final chance to win a major for the 2021 calendar year. If she can tie Court’s record at the U.S. Open, it would put her in a great position to break it in 2022.

Serena Williams has nothing left to prove on the tennis court. She will be remembered as one of the greatest tennis players of all time, and arguably the greatest athlete of all time. She doesn’t need to break Margaret Court’s record to verify her greatness; it will just be another resume item that shows how dominant Williams has been throughout her career.

But she knows the record is there, and she’s been open about wanting to catch Court in the history books. She expressed her desire to tie her longtime record during an interview with WTA Tour in 2018.

“I would love to catch up with Margaret Court. She played a different era, so her 24 grand slams were a little bit different in the Open Era of tennis,” Williams told WTA.com.

But as she gets another year older and more tread on her tires, time is running out on Serena Williams’ quest to make tennis history. She undoubtedly has the skill, talent, and personal motivation to break the longstanding record, but injuries, increasing competition, and age are making her chase for major No. 24 a race against time.