Monica Seles, nine time Grand Slam champion has described the American great, Serena Williams as someone who inspires her.
Seles who won eight of her nine Grand Slam titles as a teengaer, is now working with Laureus for the past 15 years.
She also entered the Tennis Hall of Fame in 2009. Looking back on the days when she dominated tennis, she remembered her first encounter against a 17-year old, Serena Williams.
Monica Seles first met Serena Williams on a tennis court in 1997 in Chicago. But, Seles stated that she had met Serena Williams back when she was ten.
She revealed that the first time she played against her, she knew Serena was not an ordinary talent.
“I’ve always admired Serena so much, I’d met Serena when she was probably ten and her work ethic, her determination, and just really her heart, always inspired me in so many ways,” she said.
“I’ll never forget the day when I was No.1 in the world, and I was playing her in Chicago, and I think she was 17, her first tournament, and she creamed me,” Seles added.
Never Count Serena Out: Monica Seles
Seles stated that she got a sense of Serena Williams’ capability ever since their first encounter in 1997. “As a fellow player I could sense that, even at such a young age that she was then,” said Seles.
Serena Williams went on to win 23 Grand Slam titles, just one short of Margaret Court’s record of 24 majors. The American also won four Olympic Gold Medals and made a return to tennis after giving birth to her first child in 2017.
In spite of getting agonizingly close to winning her 24th Grand Slam title, Serena Williams has struggled to clear the final hurdle. Her last Grand Slam title was at the Australian Open 2017.
However, Monica Seles believes that one can never write off the American and she is physically only getting better. She also has an added advantage of having enormous experience on her side.
“As we all learned, and as I played against her many times, you never count Serena out. Physically I think she’s getting in better and better shape,” added Monica.
