Serena Williams on Cover of Sports Illustrated, Harper’s Bazaar

by Tom Gainey | July 7th, 2010, 8:58 am
  • 37 Comments

Wimbledon champion Serena Williams is basking in the glory of the fourth title on the London lawns. Following her 6-3, 6-2 win over Vera Zvonareva Saturday in the women’s final, this week’s Sports Illustrated magazine features Serena on its cover under the headline “Love Her, Hate Her She’s the Best Ever.”

serena-williams-sicover

The article was written by L. Jon Wertheim and will be available on newsstands Wednesday at the earliest in the U.S.


Serena has been on the cover of SI at least twice before.

Serena also graces the cover of Harper’s Bazaar magazine which will be available for purchase on July 20.

serena-williams-bazaar

In the article Serena says, “I was 23 when I realized that I wasn’t Venus. She’s totally different. I’m super curvy. I have big boobs and this massive butt. She’s tall and she’s like a model and she fits everything. I was growing up, wanting to be her, wanting to look like her, and I was always fitting in her clothes, but then one day I couldn’t. But it’s fine. Now I’m obviously good, but it’s a weird thing. . . . To this day, I don’t love my arms. People want more fit arms, but my arms are too fit. But I’m not complaining. They pay my bills.”

Serena also talks about the breakup with boyfriend Common. “His schedule is actually worse than mine,” she told the magazine. “He didn’t want the responsibility. It’s really tough.”


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37 Comments for Serena Williams on Cover of Sports Illustrated, Harper’s Bazaar

Dan Martin Says:

Jon Jon Jon best ever? Among the best ever sure, but way to early to declare her the best of all time.


Siddy Says:

Serena is the best ever. I don’t think she will catch Steffi, but she is certainly the best to ever pick up a racquet. I do have to give a slight edge to Steffi cause you don’t win 22 grand slams just playing around!


Polo Says:

That is just Jon Wertheim’s opinion. I have my own.


Truth squad Says:

Haven’t read the article yet, but I think Jon’s point might be that she is the best natural player ever…not the most successful, or most accomplished. She will likely never match the 18 – 22 Singles titles of the women ahead of her, but for pure athleticism, and ability to compete and win when the odds are against her, you have to place her in a class by her own. She also shines in comparison when compared to the the dull and inspiring lot that makes up the WTA these days. Imagine what the women’s tour would look like without her? Probably not since the days of Billie Jean has one woman been as singularly responsible for the credibility abd viability of women’s tennis.


Dan Martin Says:

I do think these GOAT discussions typically get hung up on two separate but related questions:

1. Who had the most accomplished career?

2. Who would win more often than not on various surfaces?

I’d take Lendl or Connors over Becker in a heart beat on question 1. On question 2, if I had to bet my house on who would win more matches if Becker in his prime played Lendl or Connors in theirs in a series of matches on hard, clay, grass and indoor courts, I’d be tempted to take Becker especially if indoor courts got as many matches as the other surfaces. Does that make Becker better than Lendl or Connors in my mind? In one sense yes, but not in another.

If Wertheim is saying Serena would win more often than not versus other all time greats, I might (emphasis on might!) go along with it. Her failure to get past the quarters at the French since 2002 does not suggest she is invulnerable in head to head matches by any means, but I would listen to the argument.


andrea Says:

jon wertheim usually takes the tack of being very neutral in any discussion on anything, but seeing as how he wrote an entire book about the ’08 wimbledon men’s final and got on board calling it the greatest match ever, i guess we can’t be too surprised that he gets sucked into the greatest ever vortex when it comes to players.

why wasn’t this debate raging around 10 years ago? it seems odd that GOAT has become such a frenzied modern day topic, eviscerated to death on every tennis blog site.

i guess we humans feel more comfortable knowing that there is a concrete way to encapsulate and identify what ‘the best’ is.

i’m sticking to my guns that ‘best’ shall always remain an intangible. quantifiable at some level, if there are numerical benchmarks to go against (like GS titles or weeks at #1), but overall, one person’s opinion over another.


Dan Martin Says:

Andrea, Agreed these GOAT discussions are a bit tiresome.


skeezerweezer Says:

@andrea & Dan,

GOAT is just one fan’s opinion or sports writer over another? Uh…ok.

The GOAT debate is only tiresome when fans don’t want to face reality, and are in denial. What argument is there when there palying peers “Say” they are THE GOAT. Who can deny that? A fan? With what credentials? Uh…I Love Serena? Look at her stats and get quotes from her peers…then we will have a picture where she is in history….not a “jon” article. Not a knock on Serena….she is awesome..just sayin….

BUT, for Fed, case is closed, and I will not grow tired of defending that until they do. Why? If ANYONE knows the game, it’s nuances, the locker room, the grind, the H2H, the surfaces, it’s the ATP guys in the top ten, past and present who have the credence. They have said it. More than once. Who are we to question the actual players that play at that level? What qualifies a fans’ view? Have you played in rafa or Feds group? Have you played in the past era of all the greats? WTF?
A sportswriter? And as a fan we feel this? We “think” we see that?” Blinded by love for a fav, that is what determines a fans point of view. Is there anything wrong with that? No. But if you are seriously entertaining the thought, look at ones peers say, and records, and there you will find the truth.

Out


skeezerweezer Says:

@andrea & Dan,

GOAT is just one fan’s opinion or sports writer over another? Uh…ok.

The GOAT debate is only tiresome when certain fans don’t want to face reality, and are in denial.

Uh…I Love Serena? Look at her stats and get quotes from her peers…then we will have a picture where she is in history….not a “jon” article. Not a knock on Serena….she is awesome..just sayin….

What argument is there when there playing peers “Say” they are THE GOAT. Who can deny that? A fan? With what credentials?

So,in my IMO, for Fed, case is closed, and I will not grow tired of defending that until they ( his peers ) do. Why? If ANYONE knows the game, it’s nuances, the locker room, the grind, the H2H, the surfaces, it’s the ATP guys in the top ten, past and present who have the credence. They are there or have been there. We are not. They have said it. More than once. Who are we to question the actual players that play at that level? What qualifies a fans’ view? Have you played in Rafa or Feds group? Have you played in the past era of all the greats? WTF?
A sportswriter? And as a fan we qualify ourselves because we feel this? We “think” we see that?” Blinded by love for a fav, it sometimes determines a fans point of view. Is there anything wrong with that? No. But if you are seriously entertaining the thought of GOAT status, look at ones peers say, and records, and there you will find the truth.

Out


skeezerweezer Says:

Oops. Double post,, how in the #@#$#4 did that happen….Honey….I told you NOT to touch my computer…..dang….no…I told you to press the space bar…NOT the return key……Geez


rg.nadal Says:

Andrea: Well said.
As for my opinion, Graf is the greatest ever among men and women. As for Serena, she is the best of the current lot. I wonder though how successful she would have been the best if she does not play such a truncated season. Also, if Graf had the same racket which Serena or any of the present crop use, her serve would have been equally good. I like Serena. I really really like her. But she ain’t the greatest. Not in my opinion at least.


Tan Says:

It’s too soon to say Serena is best ever…however, you can’t really rely on the number of Slams to determine who’s the best ever…Steffi has 22 but that is because Monica was stabbed…otherwise, she wouldn’t get that many…


Huh Says:

Serena Williams and greatest ever?

What a joke!!!


margot Says:

My vote would be Martina.


jane Says:

I liked Steffi’s style best, but Martina is up there, and Court I assume must’ve been pretty great, though I’ve never watched her. I really don’t go in for GOAT talk though (sorry Skeeze :/ )


Huh Says:

Martina Navratilova is my FOAT lady and she’s right up there with Steffi IMHO. However, my reason for liking Martina more than anybody else is that she won 9 Wimbledon singles title! AMAZING!!! GOAT??? :D

I somehow think that Margaret Court too is sick!!!
She’s won Singles, Doubles, Mixed Doubles… she’s more than anyone else in each of this category. So no matter how much one argues about her winning many of her slams as amateur, she’s still ONE of her kind. She too deserves to be considered as as great as anyone to have played women’s tennis. GOAT stuff for sure!

And then there’s the Great Evert too.

Only after this can we consider Serena Williams.


You all are NUTS!!!! Says:

You all are nuts, Serena just won her 13th Grand Slam, NOT ONLY will she win 7 more Grand slams in the next 3 years, she will go on to have won the most by the end of her career!!!!!!!


Dan Martin Says:

I think Serena is a great champion, but in Paris how many times has she made it out to the semis?


skeezerweezer Says:

In regards to Steffi, not to take anything away from her achievements, she was awesome, best FH in the womens game. Loved her BH slice to :)But she played in the “Seles” era. Once Monica ( Graf’s self confessed toughest opponent ) had the “incident” Monica never was the same. Talk about what ifs……..

@Huh

Martina? 59 GS titles. 59? 59! I’ll leave it at that :)


Marv Says:

If Serena isn’t already the greatest, she will be by the end of her career. Don’t fight it people, just accept it.


jeanius Says:

Tan-
I’m with you. For years I’ve been saying that it would have been and should have been Seles. Steffi Graf had the forehand and nothing but a slice backhand.
Serena is a great player and so much fun to watch, although her technique is not always textbook. She is also a colorful personality, albeit explosive, and too often ungracious when she loses.


Polo Says:

Steffi was so good that all she needed was her forehand and slice backhand and nothing else. She won 22 majors and a calendar golden slam with those. Gabriela Sabatini had a great topspin backhand. It earned her only one major. Seles was very good and could have had more but she never won Wimbledon. When you talk about the best ever in women’s tennis, the discussion should center on Steffi and Martina. Maybe, Court too but I think some of her wins were prior to the open era. Serena is very good but her reign is during the crap era in women’s tennis.


Karly Says:

Serena has broken no records, she doesn’y have the most slams, does not have most weeks at number one cumulative or consecutive, has not won the most titles at any single major,has not done basically anything the “best” in her career yet, so how can she be goat? callig her goat at this point is very premature…i might also add about three or four of her latest slam wins have come with some truly cakewalk draws and major chokes across the net along the way… beating a 150 rank quali in the semis and a 21 ranked head case bridesmaid in the final of wimby isnt all that impressive or convincing


Dan Martin Says:

Seles was on pace to do some great things. I can see a case being made for Serena. She would fare well against previous players in a head-to-head situation, but the contemporary #1 is almost always going to fare well against players more than one generation removed – sports medicine, rackets shoes, travel time, etc. rarely get worse over time. Serena has a glaring issue though. Outside of 2002 she has never made it past the quarters in Paris. While Ivanovic, Kuznetsova, Miskina and Schiavone won French crowns and players such as Safina and Stosur reached the final round, Serena keeps losing in the round of 8. If you are the GOAT, I think even on the slowest of slow clay you ought to get a little deeper than the quarters when Schiavone and Kuzy are picking up the big checks and trophies. Serena has won in Paris once. Losses in Paris to Henin and even Capriati I can understand. Stosur and Kuzy? I could buy one of these losses, but not both if she is the greatest competitor and greatest player in women’s history. They are not bad players, but a greatest of all time wins one of those two matches right? That would be like Steffi losing to Conchita Martinez and Irena Spirlea in back-to-back French Open quarters.

If Serena can get some more final four runs and maybe 1 more French I might give her my nod (as if she needs it). I do think her doubles success with Venus only helps her cause as well. They could be winning slams in doubles for the next 5-10 years. For now, I think Serena is among the top 5 Open era champions, but not clearly a cut above the others.

PS – My Open Era Top 5

1. Graf won all 4 in 88, 3 slams in 89, 93, 95 and 96
2. Martina (if doubles counts she’s #1 by a long margin)
3. Seles Was on pace to do some huge things
4. Serena (2nd best doubles player of the group)
5. Evert


Huh Says:

Hey Skeeze:

Ok, I concede. If I have to vote for who’s the greatest women tennis player, it’d be Martina Navratilova. :)
And she’s by far my fave woman tennis player, I like her much more than any other tennis player. Only Steffi comes next.


Huh Says:

my top-5:

1.Martina
2.Steffi
3.Court
4.Evert
5.Serena & Seles


Polo Says:

Huh, they are all great. I may not list them in the same order that you did but I would not argue with yours. All of them, except for Serena, played when women’s tennis was still fun to watch. It is not Serena’s fault but women’s tennis have become very lackluster.


Skeezerweezer Says:

By Facts, pundits, peers:

#1 Martina ( NOT hingus, lol )

By me, a fan, because she has hot legs, love the way she runs, and her FH ( One of a kind ) a beautiful one handed slice that when she hit it her log hair blew like in slow motion and …….wait….just woke up from a dream…..nevermind…..oops.

#1 Steffi


Skeezerweezer Says:

Polo,

“Words” for the day;

“It is not Serena’s fault but women’s tennis have become very lackluster.”


Polo Says:

Skeez, I too put Steffi above everybody else…maybe just by one blond hair edge over Martina N. She is all around best because she excelled on all surfaces as can be gleaned by her most balanced accummulation of major wins…at least 4 of each. You cannot say that about everybody else on that list that Huh provided.

Graf played pure tennis. No gamesmanship. No excuses. She often played hurt or with allergies but you never hear her say anything about those when she loses. You only find out about it when she takes time off to heal, or to have surgery. She never bad mouths anybody. That was why I was so happy when she drubbed Martina Hingis at the French Open. Hingis had a habit of dismissing Graf as being over the hill. She paid for it when Graf beat her and caused her so much psychological damage that Hingis never won any major event after that loss.

Steffi’s hot legs and the long flowing blond hair certainly don’t hurt at all. That and her beautiful game made for a most exhilarating tennis sight. Nothing like that in women’s tennis since she left.


Blue Says:

I only watch women’s tennis because of Serena and Venus. Serena if she stays healthy will have more grand slams (singles) than any other woman. She has done something for her sport that many will not be able to to do. The GOAT conversation is fun but you will never get the majority to agree. In my book is she can tie or win more titles(singles) she will be the GOAT in my book but not my fathers lol….


skeezerweezer Says:

@Polo,

Oh yeah thanks for bringin that match up between Hingus and Graf, I remember seeing that match. Wow that match had a story all it’s own like you said. Graf did have “gamesmanship” in that match though. She pulled out one of her “Games” like a “Man” and steered her “Ship” into a beatdown. :)

“Class” was Steffi’s middle name for sure.


Stan Says:

Comparing Serena to previous generations’ greats is comparing apples to oranges. Serena has a great serve, but she does not have anywhere near the skill of Evert and Navratilova. If Serena played with those ladies’ equipment, she would have to be a serve and volleyer because she cannot hit groundstrokes with the consistency or variety of Evert. And her volleys, while good, are not nearly as good as Navratilova’s. Also, her footwork is often sloppy, and she has been overweight during substantial parts of her career. Still, her serve and footspeed are so good that she would probably have been a great player in any era–just not the greatest. On the other hand, could Evert or Navratilova dominate in today’s game where power trumps talent? Maybe, if they had grown up using modern equipment. But they would not have had the longevity that they had because undoubtedly they would be injured far more frequently playing the modern game.


Dan Martin Says:

Stan you bring up good points. Wertheim made a point to say Serena would tee off on Steffi’s slice backhand. Didn’t a player recently beat the world #2 and 5 time Wimbledon champion by using a slice forehand frequently?


andyec Says:

GOAT is fun to debate,impossible to determine,and sure to cause disagreements. I do think Serena,when she plays her best,is the best of all time. I don’t think Chris or Martina or anyone else could stop her when she’s on a roll. However,she’s been more injury prone and more inconsistent,especially in nonSlam tournaments than alot of the other greats. If she hadn’t had the knee injury in 2003,she’d probably be at 18 Slams now. She was at her absolute best when she got hurt. She still may get that high,but it won’t be easy. Also,if she and Venus had played doubles in Slams their whole career,their overall titles would be much closer to Martina and Court.


thaddeus buttmunch Says:

I honestly think she could beat most DUDES. Yeah the Sisters lost to the low ranked German but they were Babies then.

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