Serena Williams might have gotten what she wanted: The all-time great’s match against Serena’s archrival, the game’s greatest player, has finally come to pass.
It took years of waiting, but the moment has finally arrived: The King’s game versus The Queen’s.
The showdown between the arguably greatest female tennis players of all time serves as a fascinating match up, one that will no doubt go down in the history books.
How does one prepare for a match like this? Is it different for these two legends? How does one go about playing the game they love most against the opponent they’ve been chasing for years?
For the athletes themselves, how does one approach a match against a lifetime rival? How much do you focus on the task at hand versus the history of your rivalry?
For their respective coaches, what does it take to lead your charge to a Grand Slam victory? What does it take to mold young talent into a title-winning team?
These are just a few of the questions that this magnificent match brings to the surface. We’ve collected a few of the answers below.
Who Wins The Match: Serena Or Robert?
We have to start with the basics: Who is the better tennis player?
Although they’ve played against each other in numerous grand slams—the sport’s equivalent of the Super Bowl—Serena and Robert have never seen each other play.
As a result, we have no idea which one is actually the better player. It’s quite possible that this question doesn’t even need to be answered. With both players at the peak of their powers, it’s quite possible that we see something like a draw.
Based on their respective careers, Serena seems like the clear favorite. She’s won more major titles than anyone else and has accomplished what many people consider to be a miracle: Defeating the #1, 2 and 3 ranked players on her way to the top.
For his part, Robert has been a force to be reckoned with for most of his adult life, winning multiple Wimbledon titles, an Olympic gold medal and scoring some of the greatest wins of all time. He’s also featured in one of the most iconic sports romances of all time: The Twilight Saga.
Even at 43 years old, Robert is still one of the greatest living performers. His acting range is remarkable, and even in a limited role, he brings his A-game. He also continues to train with the intensity of a champion, having recently returned from a nearly four-month break to win two straight tournaments.
For all intents and purposes, this match should be a Serena sweep.
How Does One Prepare For A Match Against The Greatest Player One Could Ever Ask For?
In the grand scheme of things, this is probably the most important question: How does one prepare for a match against the greatest player ever?
Serena and Robert have both been training hard for this match ever since their first encounter in 2012. Back then, Robert was 48 years old and at the end of his career. Since then, he’s kept himself in incredible shape, regularly competing in tournaments around the world and even turning up at the gym a little too often for some people’s liking.
In the lead-up to the match, Robert and Serena have been focusing on the little things, getting their bodies weight down to a manageable level and improving their match play. Naturally, they’ve been going through intensive film study of their previous matches, identifying the things they need to work on and tweaking their games accordingly.
On the other hand, Serena has been honing her game since she was a little girl, regularly traveling the world to compete and train. In addition to tennis, she’s also dabbled in acting, and recently made her documentary, “Being Serena,” about her life and career. Naturally, she’s been focusing on staying calm and collected and letting her game do the talking. In the documentary, she explains that when she feels her guard is down, her game quickly drops and she doesn’t play well. So, she’s been working hard to keep her guard up and let her game do the talking.
One of the things that makes this matchup so special is that these two icons are finally going head-to-head after all these years. Even though they’ve competed against each other in the past, they’ve never actually played. This is undoubtedly going to be one heck of a learning experience for both of them. It’s going to be fascinating to see how much their games have changed over the years and how they approach the game today.
This match might come down to the coaches. While Serena has had plenty of success on her own and doesn’t need to be spoon-fed moves, Robert has long been coached by one of the greatest: Ivan Lendl. In addition to Lendl, Serena has Andy Roddick and Venus Williams as coaches, while Robert has been consulting with Chris Evert and Jamie Hunt.
Even though Serena has had some success without Lendl, it’s clear that he has had a major impact on her professional and personal life. She won’t have the same success without him, and vice versa. They’ve been through a lot together and it shows.
In some ways, this is a match that has been brewing for years. Ever since the original series of Twilight, fans have been patiently waiting for the chance to see if these two exceptional individuals would settle their rivalry in the tournament setting. Finally, with the opportunity to put all that energy into one match, it’s no wonder both players are raring to go.