Tennis Honors: Serena Williams

In photos: 16 rivals that defined Serena's iconic career

Venus may have been Serena's best rival, but plenty of other elite athletes challenged the 23-time Grand Slam champion over nearly three decades on tour. Relive the best moments from Serena's greatest rivalries.

ByDavid Kane

Published Aug 19, 2022

WATCH: Serena played her last match against Maria Sharapova at the 2019 US Open.

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Arantxa Sánchez Vicario (ASV leads 4-3): Serena has often said her first Roland Garros was the Slam that got away—in large part due to a tense match with the "Barcelona Bumblebee," who went on to win that year's title in 1998.

Martina Hingis (SW leads 7-6): Hingis lead their early rivalry and won one of their best matches at the 2001 Australian Open, but Serena avenged the defeat later that year in New York to gain a decisive head-to-head advantage.

Kim Clijsters (SW leads 7-2): Serena pulled off one of her most magical comebacks against the affable Belgian, rallying from 1-5 down in the final set of their 2003 Australian Open thriller, setting the stage for her first "Serena" Slam.

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Jennifer Capriati (SW leads 10-7): Another big-hitting American rival, Capriati played Williams tough throughout the early 2000s, culminating with a controversial win at the 2004 US Open—one that hastened the arrival of Instant Replay in tennis.

Maria Sharapova (SW leads 20-2): Williams won the last 19 matches of their rivalry after saving match points to clinch their 2005 Australian Open classic.

Lindsay Davenport (SW leads 10-4): Davenport was world No. 1 heading into their first major final at the 2005 Australian Open, but Serena rallied from a set down to capture her first Slam in nearly two years.

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Elena Dementieva (SW leads 7-5): Their definitive match came at the 2009 Wimbledon Championships semis, where Serena saved match point with an audacious volley to score a 9-7 final set victory.

Justine Henin (SW leads 8-6): From a contentious 2003 Roland Garros semifinal, Williams and Henin kicked off the 2010s with one of the decade's best finals in Melbourne, with Serena halting her rival's "second career" comeback in three sets.

Samantha Stosur (SW leads 8-3): Williams brought out some of Stosur's best tennis at major tournaments, with the Aussie shocking Serena en route to her first Slam final and title in Paris and New York, respectively.

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Jelena Jankovic (SW leads 10-4): Jankovic's counterpunching gave Serena fits in the mid-00s but she solved the smiling Serbian by 2012, winning their last six matches.

Garbiñe Muguruza (tied, 3-3): Serena's 2015 Wimbledon win over Muguruza earned her a second "Serena Slam," though the Spaniard turned the tables on Serena in the finals of the following year's French Open.

Simona Halep (SW leads 10-2): Half of Williams' wins over her fellow former No. 1 required a third set, and their last four meetings have all come at Grand Slams—Serena won three.

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Angelique Kerber (SW leads 6-3): Besides Venus, Kerber is the only player to win multiple major finals against Serena, starting with a 2016 Australian Open stunner.

Victoria Azarenka (SW leads 18-5): Now moms with toddlers, Serena and Vika became the definitive rivalry of the mid-2010s, playing eight finals in six years—Serena winning six.

Karolina Pliskova (tied, 2-2): The Ace Queen is among the few women on tour who can match Serena on serve, splitting their two most recent matches at the 2018 US Open and 2019 Australian Open.

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Naomi Osaka (Osaka leads 3-1): Fan as well as rival, Osaka won her first major over Serena at the 2018 US Open, and won their most recent match at the 2021 Australian Open.

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