How Shohei Ohtani Stacks Up To Tennis Greats Serena Williams And Novak Djokovic

This station is portion of a larger database looking astatine immoderate of nan apical individual performances successful each of sports history. Check retired nan afloat database here. 

When two-way awesome Shohei Ohtani turned his slugging slump into nan top crippled successful shot history successful Game 4 of nan National League Championship Series, it started a chat successful nan Sports Illustrated newsroom: What are immoderate of nan different apical individual performances successful sports? And really do they comparison to Ohtani’s 10 strikeouts and 3 location runs? 

In tennis, location is nary amended barometer to measurement excellence than Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic, nan undisputed GOATs of nan game. So, really does Ohtani’s lights-out capacity stack up to nan biggest moments of Djokovic and Williams’s careers? 

Two months earlier, Novak Djokovic had wrenched his knee, requiring surgery. One period earlier, Djokovic—miraculously backmost successful action—lost to Carlos Alcaraz successful nan Wimbledon final. But location Djokovic was connected an August day connected nan clay of Roland Garros. At 37 years old, and successful request of rest, he had small business being there. And he had nary business reaching nan decisive golden badge match. But earlier nan 2024 season, he had called his shot, Babe Ruth style, announcing to nan world his ambition to triumph Olympic golden for Serbia, nan lone missing introduction connected his unrivaled tennis résumé. Never mind that Djokovic was facing Alcaraz again, who—apart from winning nan French Open title connected nan aforesaid tribunal earlier that summer—was a afloat 16 years his junior. Djokovic had not entertained nan anticipation of losing that afternoon. So it was that successful nan biggest lucifer of his life, he played near-flawless tennis. His shots licked nan lines; he won 20 of 27 ventures to nan net; he outserved his younger opponent; supra all, he won nan points freighted pinch nan astir pressure. Djokovic prevailed 7–6, 7–6. And had, thereby, recovered a measurement to win a title that, successful his mind, was bigger than immoderate of nan 24 fields that he had travel prior. Game, set, GOAT.

Greater than Ohtani? Slightly, fixed nan discourse and humanities freight. 

Serena Williams exploded onto nan scene, winning her first awesome singles title astatine nan 1999 U.S. Open arsenic a teenager. / Manny Millan /Sports Illustrated

Serena’s first U.S. Open win

Serena Williams’s first awesome title was nan eventual enactment of foreshadowing. At 17 years, and regarded arsenic not moreover nan champion subordinate successful her ain family, she went from respected to feared successful a matter of days, beating (future Hall of Famers, all) Kim Clijsters, Conchita Martínez, Monica Seles and nan defending champion, Lindsay Davenport, to scope nan 1999 U.S. Open final. There, Williams faced Martina Hingis, nan apical seed and nan world’s No. 1 player. And it’s not conscionable that—in nan biggest lucifer of her life—Serena grounded to blink. It’s that she relished nan occasion. Mixing power, accuracy, velocity and courtcraft, Williams announced herself. After winning a virtually cleanable lucifer and taking nan title, she remarked, “I wouldn’t springiness successful to anything.” This would beryllium a cardinal taxable and cardinal seam successful a tapestry that would dispersed retired complete nan adjacent 2 decades. But that day successful Queens, N.Y., nan GOAT whitethorn person travel closest to perfection.

Greater than Ohtani? Close but not quite.

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