Wondering what the Tournament of Champions is, and how we got here? Read more about our 50th Anniversary Celebration and get caught up on all the matches so far.
The matchups just keep getting bigger and better—and more difficult to call—as the tournament goes on. We’ve had a chance to imagine a lot of explosive contests throughout this draw, but Williams vs. Court may represent the sport at its physical peak. Two very different physical peaks, to be exact: The American and the Australian were, respectively, the athletic paragons of the serve-and-volley and the baseline eras. Court’s length helped her cover the net; Williams’ strength has helped her rule the backcourt. Court sliced her serve wide, moved it around the box, and followed it forward; Serena pounds hers straight down the T for aces. Court did it all well enough to win a record 24 Grand Slam singles titles; Serena has 19 so far, but who’s to say the world No. 1 can’t win five more?
In a match between the two, Williams would start with a natural power advantage. She could do what she does best—power her ground strokes to the corners and lean on her serve in hard times—without having to leave her comfort zone. Court, by contrast, would have to adjust to Williams’ pace. You can imagine Court rallying with patience and looking for opportunities (“She would hit great groundstrokes as long as she had to,” says Virginia Wade); using her slice serve to push Serena wide; chipping her backhand to keep it low as she approached the net.
But you can also imagine Court struggling to handle Williams’ pace, on her serves, returns, and rally balls. Unfortunately for Court, she can’t play on the surface where she won most of her titles, grass, until the third set. That’s probably a set too late.
