Who’s the GOAT?

Now that Serena Williams has won her 22^nd major, tying Steffi Graf for the modern day record, talk will resume about who is the Greatest Of All Time (GOAT).  The discussion always involves Serena and Steffi Graf, both of whom have amassed formidable records of achievement.  Below I’ve attached a table of some of the key career stats for both players.  Regardless of how you may view this comparison, there is an important point to make, and that is, the discussion has no point. 

When deciding “who is the greatest” at any sport, you are comparing players who played at different times and against different opposition.  There are also factors that affect career stats but have nothing to do with a player’s greatness, such as injuries, personal decisions about where to play, when to play, and how long to play etc.  So, inescapably, the judgment about who the GOAT is, is subjective.  In this case I would suspect that if you’re German, it’s Steffi, and if you’re an American, it’s Serena.

           However, rather than feeling frustrated over our inability to settle the issue definitively, we should revel in one of the great beauties of sport: That although the task facing every contestant is the same, no two people play exactly the same way.  The way a person plays a sport is as unique as his or her fingerprints.   It is the unique style of every player that so intrigues sports fans, and keeps us coming back to watch more matches.  So I recommend that we sit back, relax, and simply enjoy the watching these great athletes display their individual arrays of incredible skills.

Steffi and Serena Stats:

  

Steffi                                                   Serena

Years played                                         17                                                         21*

Career record                                  900-115 (89%)                                     768-127 (86%)*

Slam wins/finals                                  22/31                                                    22/28*

Slam record                                      282/32 (89%)                                       304/42 (88%)*

Weeks @ #1                                      377 weeks,                                               300*

Consecutive wks @ #1                         186                                                       157 *

Titles                                                     107                                                         71*

Unique achievements:

Graf:    Won calendar slam and golden slam, 1988

Won 3 slams 5 consecutive years

Won 5 slams in a row

Twice held all 4 slam titles

Won all slams at least 4 times

Serena Williams Won 3 slams at least 6 times

Golden slam (not in same year)

Has many records for winning slams over several decades and winning multiple doubles titles

Opposition:

Graf:  Her opposition became a bit less tough when Monica Seles had her career interrupted by stabbing.

Williams:  Her opposition became a bit less tough when Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin retired.

* Indicates ongoing stats.