We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.

Advertiser Disclosure

Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.

How We Make Money

We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently from our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.

Are Most People Realistic about Their Athletic Ability?

Without question, Serena Williams is one of the best tennis players in history, having won an Open Era record 23 Grand Slam singles titles, as well as breaking or tying a seemingly endless number of other records. Yet despite her accomplishments, Williams apparently isn't all that impressive to a lot of men. According to a recent YouGov poll in the United Kingdom, 12 percent of men said they thought they could win at least one point in a match against Williams. Experts tend to agree that the only reasonable chance of the average man winning a point against the tennis champ would be if she were to double-fault. Otherwise, you'd need to be a fairly high-caliber player who can handle things like a 128 mph (206 km/h) serve As sports journalist Chris Bowers told The Guardian: "... there has to be a degree of delusion among the people answering this survey." For what it's worth, three percent of the women surveyed thought they could take a point off Serena Williams.

Serena the superstar:

  • Only Chris Evert has won as many U.S. Open singles titles in the Open Era as Williams: six.
  • When Williams won her record seventh Australian Open singles title in 2017, she was eight weeks pregnant.
  • Serena Williams and her sister, Venus, have won all 14 of the Grand Slam women's doubles finals that they have played in together.

Discussion Comments

WiseGEEK, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

WiseGEEK, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.