Serena Williams at the 2016 U.S. Open (USA Today)
A tennis champion scored a win for the books. Serena Williams is the top winning player in Grand Slam history. She earned her 308th career match win at the U.S. Open Monday.
USA Today Sports reported Williams pushed past Roger Federer’s 307 wins by beating Yaroslava Shvedova in 6-2, 6-3 victories in the fourth round.
“Three hundred eight sounds pretty good,” Williams told reporters. “I think it’s really exciting. Winning 308 matches in general is pretty awesome. For that to be Grand Slam is pretty cool.”
“It really talks about the length of my career,” she continued. “I’ve been playing for a really long time, but also given that consistency is there. That’s something I’m really proud of.’”
The tennis pro ultimately hopes to score 311 Grand Slam career titles. It would beat her 22 Grand Slam title tie with Steffi Graff, which she scored at Wimbledon in July.
Additionally, Williams is looking to end her equal wins with Chris Evert’s six U.S. Open titles.
But now, the Olympian hopes to keep her No. 1 world position against No. 5 holder Simona Halep. The two are scheduled for a match on Wednesday.
“I just think with everyone I play, they play a step up and above their ranking,” she explained. “I think that’s the beauty, one of the reasons I’m able to hang. Everyone I’m playing is playing like they’re No. 1. To me, it doesn’t really matter who I play because I have to expect they’re going to play the match of their life. That’s how I go into these matches now.”
Ahead of her history-making feat, Williams was the subject of a Nike ad chronicling her journey to tennis stardom.
The commercial – aired during the U.S. Open – traces her hits and misses with words like “struggling” and “done” changing into “comeback” and “legend.”
Toward the end of the spot, the phrase “greatest female athlete ever” appears. “Female” then disappears, leaving “greatest athlete ever” in its place as the camera pans over Williams’ focused gaze.
View the #UnlimitedGreatness ad below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fw0MmCgxDow
