He partnered Serena Williams to her first two Grand Slam titles before she turned 17

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Serena Williams is one of the most decorated players in the history of the sport, breaking records throughout her career.

The American legend won 39 major titles during her tennis career, a number that only Martina Navratilova and Margaret Court can beat.

Williams took home 23 of those titles in singles, more than any other women’s player in the Open Era.

From her first title at the US Open in 1999 to her last at Melbourne Park in 2017, Williams excited fans with her powerful game throughout.

However, while her first singles success at the Grand Slam level came in 1999, she picked up her first Major one year earlier.

Competing in the mixed doubles, the WTA star won her first two Majors at just 16 years old, in 1998.

Max Mirnyi: The man who partnered Serena Williams to her first two Grand Slam titles

Having reached the French Open mixed doubles final alongside Argentina’s Luis Lobo in May 1998, Williams partnered with Belarussian giant Max Mirnyi for the Wimbledon tournament just a few months later.

At 16, and 20 years old respectively, the duo were one of the youngest pairs at the tournament, but quickly showed what they were all about.

Never going about things the easy way, Williams and Mirnyi battled through deciding sets in four of their five matches on the way to the final.

The duo fought their way into the final, where they faced off against the number five seeds, Mahesh Buphati and Mirjana Lucic.

They didn’t need three sets in the final, however, as they took down their more experienced opponents 6-4, 6-4 to lift their first Grand Slam title together on the grass.

At just 16 years of age, Williams was a Major champion, and it didn’t take too long for her attention to switch to New York, and a debut on home soil.

Having impressed fans on debut in the singles, reaching the third round with wins over Nicole Pratt, and Pavlina Stoyanova, the American once again took to the court alongside Mirnyi, as they looked to win their second consecutive Grand Slam mixed doubles title.

The pair beat some familiar faces on their way to the title, as the 16-year-old continued to shine on the biggest of stages.

They took home the title in convincing fashion, beating the number three seeds in straight sets in the final, lifting the trophy in front of an excited crowd at Flushing Meadows.

Standing at 6ft 5, the now 21-year-old Belarussian had become the first male to win a Major title from his nation and had done so twice in the same year.

The unlikely pairing went on to reach the final of the Australian Open at the beginning of 1999, losing in three sets, before their brief, yet successful partnership came to an end.

Speaking in 2018, Mirnyi looked back on his US Open run with Williams 20 years earlier.

“I saw some of Serena’s fighting spirit back then,” he said.

“We had some tough matches on the way to the title, and despite the fact she was so young at the time, she had the fierce fighting spirit of a mature warrior.”

Mirnyi, now known as the ‘Beast of Belarus’, and Williams, who many believe to be the ‘Greatest of all time’, had burst onto the scene in 1998, with fans excited as to what was to come.

What happened to Max Mirnyi after he won two Grand Slam titles with Serena Williams in 1998?

Williams went on to win another 37 Major titles during her career, and while Mirnyi didn’t quite match those numbers, he still had plenty of success ahead of him.

Over the next 15 years, Mirnyi added eight more Grand Slam trophies to his collection, competing in doubles, and mixed doubles.

Mirnyi competed and won titles alongside some of the sport’s biggest names, including Australia’s Lleyton Hewitt, and his fellow Belarussian Victoria Azarenka.

Partnering with Azarenka he arguably achieved the best result of his career, at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

In recognition of his efforts throughout his illustrious career, Mirnyi was granted the honor of carrying the flag for Belarus at the Opening Ceremony.

Entering the event as the number one seeds, Mirnyi and Azarenka played some excellent tennis on the grass, before meeting home favorites Andy Murray and Laura Robson in the final.

The Belarussian pair didn’t let the crowd get to them, as they won the match 2-6, 6-3, [10-8], bringing home their country’s 11th Gold Medal.

In a career that spanned 22 years, Mirnyi achieved plenty more success, as he continued to raise the bar for Belarussian tennis.

• Won one ATP singles title at the 2003 Rotterdam Open
• Reached Career-high singles ranking of 18th in 20023
• Finished in the ATP top 50 for six straight years between 2000, and 2005
• Secured three wins over world number ones, all in 2001
• Reached the US Open quarter-finals in 2002, beating Roger Federer in the fourth round
• Reached Career-high doubles ranking of 1st in 2003
• Won 52 titles in doubles
• Helped guide Belarus to the semi-finals of the 2004 Davis Cup
• Won the doubles ATP Finals twice, in 2006, and 2011

Mirnyi retired from tennis in 2018 and began working as Kei Nishikori’s coach just a few years later.

The ‘Beast of Belarus’ remains his nation’s most successful player and will have no doubt inspired the likes of Azarenka and Aryna Sabalenka to do great things on the WTA Tour.