Serena Williams and Roger Federer are possibly the 2 most renowned tennis avid gamers of all time. They had been synonymous with the game all through the 2000s, and are two of the largest manufacturers as athletes on the earth. They had levels of dominance all through their careers, and completed their tennis tale as two of the best avid gamers of all time. ,Wimbledon 2023 Live Updates Day 5,
Both Federer and Williams retired in 2022, having entered their 40s and successful all there used to be to win. As competition, they’ve confronted off in exhibition occasions, however handiest as soon as in a aggressive setting. The legends discovered themselves on reverse aspects of the web in a combined doubles fit right through the global group festival, the Hopman Cup, in Perth in 2019.
Up-and-coming American megastar Frances Tiafoe recounted a hilarious however telling tale from that fit in 2019. In the Ultimate Tennis Showdown Talk Show, Tiafoe spoke to his countrymen Christopher Eubanks and Ben Shelton about Serena’s have an effect on on tennis, particularly in the US.
“Best Serena story I got, I’m playing mixed with her, we’re playing Fed and [Belinda] Bencic,” mentioned Tiafoe. “Fed is acing her left, right, and center. She gets aced again. We go sit down. She goes ‘Ugh! I don’t get it. I can’t lose this. He’s not better than me. I got 23 Slams, he got 20!”
Tiafoe is shut pals with Serena, who could also be like a mentor to the younger American. Tiafoe just lately entered the highest 10 scores for the primary time after lifting the trophy in Stuttgart.
Both Eubanks and Shelton had shocked reactions to the mentality proven by means of Serena in that second, even in an match this is in large part used as a warmup to the Australian Open. “No means! You’re making this up!” said Eubanks, who lifted his first career title at the Mallorca Open right before Wimbledon.
Shelton, who at 20 years old is one of the most exciting prospects in American tennis, was similarly shocked. “This is crazy to me!” Shelton has massive power on his serves and groundstrokes, and reached the quarterfinals at the Australian Open, in only his second grand slam tournament.
“Hand to god, that’s when I thought, I got it now. That’s when I was like, you’ve got to be different. This wasn’t a joke!” concluded Tiafoe, who was a semifinalist at the US Open in 2022.
Williams finished her professional tennis career with 23 grand slam titles, the most in the open era by any woman. Her last slam appearance was also in New York in 2022. Even at 40, she beat world number 3 Anett Kontaveit, before bowing out in the third round. She now enters the next stage of her life, currently expecting a second child with her husband Alex Ohanian.
Frances Tiafoe carries American hopes in the men’s draw at Wimbledon, as the tenth seed prepares to face former semifinalist Grigor Dimitrov. Shelton was knocked out by Laszlo Djere, and Eubanks prepares to play British number one Cameron Norrie.