"I could never have imagined I would be mentioned with Chris Evert or Martina Navratilova"- When Serena Williams tied American greats with Slam No. 18
Serena Williams won her 18th Grand Slam title at the 2014 US Open, beating Caroline Wozniacki in the final. The win marked the American's record-equaling sixth title at Flushing Meadows, as well as taking her level with legends Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova's Majors tally.
Williams won the tournament without dropping a single set along the way, a record-equaling third time she achieved the feat. Speaking at her press conference afterwards, Serena Williams was elated to be mentioned in the same breath as Evert and Navratilova, admitting that it meant a lot to her.
The Compton-native further conceded that she had never imagined it would be possible growing up, having been nothing more than a kid with a dream and a racket in her hands.
"It means a lot to me. You know, I just could never have imagined that I would be mentioned with Chris Evert or with Martina Navratilova, because I was just a kid with a dream and a racquet. Living in Compton, you know, this never happened before. You know, I just never could have imagined that it could have ended -- not ended," Serena Williams said.
"I'm just beginning. Well, I'm not beginning, but I could have gotten this far, you know. So it was just -- I think it was -- and then it was eluding me for three tournaments, I guess. But, still that's a lot for me. I was like, you know, really excited to get it," she added.
While Evert and Navratilova ended with 18, Serena Williams went on to add five more Grand Salm titles to her name. Finally, the former World No. 1 bid adieu to the sport in 2022, retiring with one final appearance at the US Open.
"It was definitely on my shoulders" - Serena Williams on the pressure of winning Slam No. 18
During the press conference, Serena Williams admitted that the pressure of winning Slam No. 18 was weighing down on her shoulders. The American, therefore, was relieved to finally get past the hurdle, emphasizing at the same time she knew it would happen to her one day all along.
"It was definitely on my shoulders. It was definitely like, Oh, get there, get there, get there. Now I've gotten there, so now it's a little bit of a relief. Like I said, I got stuck at 13 for a while. I said, I'm going to get over it one day. I don't know when, but I knew it would happen. I didn't know it would happen so soon. But, yeah, I feel really excited," Serena Williams said.