From beating Steffi Graf to outdoing all newcomers – Serena Williams' path to longevity

Now, we say arguably because Williams dropped a few cryptic hints that she might just come back at the beginning of next year. 

But whether or not she does, there are two things about her career that cannot be denied – her greatness and her longevity. 

One could easily argue that the two were interlinked. One of the reasons she transcended the sport and became an all-time great was the sheer amount of time she spent dominating the game. 

This can be evidenced by how it is the first correctly noticed on the WTA Tour. In 1999, after she had won her first-ever title on the tour, she beat Steffi Graf at the Evert Cup in California to win her second title. 

Few could have guessed it at the time, but it was an accurate passing of the torch moment as Graf would go on to announce her retirement later that year. 

What's more, Williams would also surpass Graf's record of most Grand Slam titles in the Open Era when Williams won her 23rd and final title. 

But it wasn't just that she became seen as the heir apparent to Graf that made Williams such an all-time great. However, the fact that she outlasted several potential competitors certainly does. 

When Venus Williams was dominating the WTA Tour, she was often asked who would be the one to break her stranglehold on the division. Her answer was always the same – my younger sister Serena. 

Most took the claim with a massive grain of salt, given many saw it as her bigging-up family and little else. As it turns out, Venus was spot on. 

Serena would first end the dominance of her sister before establishing a lengthy reign of her own and seeing off all challengers. 

During her time dominating the sport, many came in and became the top-ranked female player. Some even managed to beat Williams in big matches. 

But the American remained the true final boss of the WTA Tour. Maria Sharapova, Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic, Amelie Mauresmo, Justine Henin, Caroline Wozniacki, and many others came and went. Yet Serena remained inevitable. 

It is telling that, by the end of her career, she was playing against tennis players she quite literally inspired. 

The likes of Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka have mentioned many times how important a role model Serena was to them, and both were starting their careers when Williams was nowhere close to done with hers. 

In a division not known for longevity, that perhaps was Williams's greatest asset – her ability to be on top for as long as she was. Indeed, we may never see another like her.