Serena Williams poised to break Roger Federer's record of most Grand Slam match wins
On Tuesday, Serena Williams overcame World No. 2 Simona Halep in commanding fashion to book her place in the last four of the Australian Open. She will now face World No. 3 Naomi Osaka on Thursday, in a bid to reach her fifth Slam final since her post-pregnancy return to the tour.
Williams is chasing Margaret Court's record tally of 24 Grand Slams, as has been well-documented. However, that is not the only record the American is poised to break this week.
Her straight-sets quarterfinal win over Halep means she is now just one win away from breaking Roger Federer's record of 362 wins on the Grand Slam stage.
Serena Williams won her first Grand Slam match at the Australian Open in 1998, reaching the second round in her maiden appearance at a Major. 22 years and 23 titles later, the American has compiled a 362-51 win-loss record at the Majors.
Serena Williams will break Roger Federer's record if she overcomes Naomi Osaka on Thursday
Serena Williams will have to get the better of Japan's Naomi Osaka, who won the title in 2019, if she wants to break Roger Federer's record. Williams has a difficult task on her hands though, given that her opponent Osaka is currently on a 19-match unbeaten streak.
Whether she breaks this record or not, Serena Williams has time and again shown why she is possibly the greatest women's player of all time.
When the reins of men's tennis were in Roger Federer's hands in the 2000s, it was Serena Williams who effectively revolutionized the women's game. With her blistering groundstrokes and impeccable serve, Williams won 23 Grand Slams, held all four Major titles at the same time twice, won multiple Olympics gold medals, and dominated every professional rivalry she had.
That said, Roger Federer's own dominance in the men's game is no small feat. The 20-time Slam champion is possibly the most versatile player of all time, and can hold his own on every surface.
Roger Federer happens to be the only player to win three different Majors at least five times (Wimbledon, Australian Open and US Open). Federer also spent a record 310 weeks as the No. 1 ranked player in the world - 237 of which came in succession.
Given all of Federer's achievements, it's not surprising that the Swiss maestro held the Open Era record for most wins at Grand Slams for several years.
Aside from Roger Federer and Serena Williams, the other two players to have won at least 300 Grand Slam matches in their careers are Martina Navratilova and Novak Djokovic - the latter of whom achieved the milestone this week in Melbourne.