KEY POINTS

  • Serena Williams is looking to tie Margaret Court’s Grand Slam record of 24 majors
  • This year’s US Open is played behind closed doors
  • Williams may use a unique situation to her advantage

History is within grasp for Serena Williams as she is one championship away from tying Margaret Court’s Grand Slam record of 24 singles majors won. This year’s US Open proves to be the best chance for Williams to achieve this record.

While Williams is only a title away from the record, she’s been stuck at her 23rd trophy for the past three years. The last major the 38-year-old hoisted up was the Australian Open back in 2017. This tournament can be her best shot at the record given the unprecedented setup of the US Open.

"I've been definitely proudly stuck here [at 23], party of one," Williams said by way of ESPN.

Known as one of the biggest icons of the sport, Williams remains hungry in winning more regardless of the numerous accomplishments she’s had throughout her career. The superstar is off to a strong start as she kicked off her route to the record by tallying her 102nd US Open win, exceeding Chris Every by the most by any female player.

"I'm pretty happy about it. Obviously I'm never satisfied. That's been the story of my career,” Williams continued.

Winning has always been Williams’ priority as she’s been aiming for more success after the birth of her child.

"So, yeah, it is what it is. I took a year-and-a-half off for a baby. So I don't know. It's like I'll never be satisfied until I retire. I'm never going to stop until I retire. It's just my personality. That's how I got to be here," Williams added.

One major factor that serves as an advantage for Williams is how she finds the crowd-less environment to be more relaxing. In addition to this, six out of the top 10 withdrawing from the tournament propels Williams as a favorite to win it all.

"When you have players like Ashleigh Barty, the No. 1 player in the world, and Simona Halep, who has won two majors, not playing, that obviously improves her chances," said Pam Shriver.

There will still be major players to take note of for Williams, as Karolina Pliskova and Naomi Osaka are still part of the draw.

"The main thing that I'm interested in for Serena is how not having the crowd will affect her. Given her past at the Open, it might help keep her more calm,” Shriver added.

It will be interesting to see how Williams will perform in the unique US Open and if she can rally enough to claim the record of 24 Grand Slams.

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