"No matter if you are a sports fan or not": Serena Williams should be included in GOAT debate believes former WTA pro due to being a household name

Former American tennis player Jill Craybas commented on the debate about the female GOAT and had no doubts that Serena Williams is indisputably the greatest tennis player in history with her 23 Grand Slam titles. Williams retired in 2022 with 14 Grand Slam titles in doubles, two in mixed doubles, four Olympic gold medals, and a record 319 weeks as world No. 1.

In the total count of Grand Slam titles, Serena is only behind Margaret Court, who won 24 between the 60s and 70s. However, the Australian achieved 13 of them before the Open Era. The American won her 23rd title at the 2017 Australian Open and played in four other Grand Slam finals between 2018 and 2019, but she lost all of them in straight sets, leaving her just short of equaling Court.

Jill Craybas appeared on the latest episode of the ATP Tennis Radio Podcast and chose Williams and Court as the best in history by considering both singles and doubles: "She [Williams] is definitely at the top of the list, and I think Chris [Bowers] makes a good point of maybe incorporating the doubles into the category a little bit more," Craybas said.

"With the men in particular, if you talk about the top 3: Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, they didn't play doubles that often. So, I think if they did, there would've been a lot more numbers in their category as well. But, if we are talking about numbers, yes, I mean, Serena definitely is one of the best, the highest in that category along with Margaret Court obviously, having 24-Grand Slam titles," she continued.

Former world No. 39 emphasized that Serena Williams left a lasting impact on the sport beyond the courts, considering it relevant in choosing the GOAT: "But you not only talk about the numbers, but the substance, the celebrity. I mean, I think Serena is one of those that transcended all of that, right? Went beyond sport," Craybas said. "Even if you didn't watch tennis, people knew who she was. People know who she is, no matter you are a sports fan or not, and that's a big deal. So, for me, that's what makes her one of the best in the world," she concluded.