What Serena Williams said when asked if she could ever become as dominant as Roger Federer back in 2007

Follow us on Google Discover

Serena Williams and Roger Federer won the respective singles titles at the 2007 Australian Open.

Williams beat Maria Sharapova in the Melbourne final, winning her first major title in two years by doing so.

While in the men’s singles tournament, Federer overcame first-time Grand Slam finalist Santiago Gonzalez to continue his dominance over the rest of the ATP Tour.

This was the prime of Federer’s career, holding the position as world number one for a record 237 consecutive weeks, while Williams was bidding to make her way back up the ranks.

What Serena Williams said when asked if she could dominate like Roger Federer

After struggling with a chronic knee injury, Williams began the 2007 season ranked as world number 94.

However, after winning her seventh Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, Williams returned to the WTA top 20.

This led to an interview with Charlie Rose, where Williams was asked whether she could replicate Federer’s dominance in the men’s game.

While Williams did not give a definitive answer, the American certainly did not rule out the possibility of it happening in the future.

“I definitely think that is a possibility. I don’t think anything is impossible,” answered Williams. “That’s definitely a possibility as well as Roger, as long as you stay injury free.

“Anything can happen on any given day and it’s really important to stay healthy and fit. You can’t really decide that for yourself, it just happens.”

Williams continued her rise up the rankings and finished the 2007 season as world number seven, but was unable to add to her Grand Slam haul until the following year.

What was Serena Williams most dominant season?

Williams certainly was able to dominate following this interview, going onto win 16 more Grand Slam titles and ending up with an Open Era record of 23 majors to her name.

Her most dominant period came between 2013 and 2016, where Williams equalled a Steffi Graf record by holding the world number one ranking for 186 consecutive weeks.

The most dominant of those seasons came in 2015, when Williams lost only three of 56 matches all year.

This included Williams winning the first three Grand Slam titles of the season, as she bidded to make history by becoming only the fourth women’s singles player to complete the Calendar Slam.

Everything was on track for the world number one after she reached the US Open semi-finals, before Williams was stunned by Roberta Vinci in one of the biggest shocks in tennis history.

Despite being unable to complete the Calendar Slam that year, Williams’ 2015 season stands as one of the most dominant of all time.

After 27 years as a professional tennis player, Williams retired at the 2022 US Open as one of the greats.