A holder of 23 singles Grand Slam titles, four-time Olympic gold medallist, Majors in doubles and mixed doubles, tells you Serena Williams is a Grand Slam queen. She will be a legend even if Serena decides to never touch the racket after the shock final defeat to a 19-year-old Bianca Andreescu in the 2019 US Open final. She celebrates her 38th birthday– the same as contemporary Roger Federer – on September 26.

At 38, Serena has numerous records to her name but the record Serena has her eyes on is Margaret Court’s haul of 24 Grand Slam titles, something she has been chasing since 2017. She called for a pregnancy break in April 2017. But in between pregnancy break and a return to the top 10, she had appeared in four successive Grand Slam finals.

Serena lost all four finals –two at Wimbledon and US Open final each – since her return from pregnancy but keeps on competing at the highest level. Her powerful forehands are a story for future generation and aspiring Tennis stars. But away from Tennis, Serena remains the strongest advocator of women’s sports. On her 38th birthday, take a look at the 10 powerful quotes of the Tennis great.

Here Are Some of The Most Powerful Quotes of Serena Williams:

"I went on a court just with a ball and a racket and with a hope."

"I don’t like to lose — at anything… Yet I’ve grown most not from victories, but setbacks. If winning is God’s reward, then losing is how he teaches us."

"There’s one thing I’m really good at, and that’s hitting the ball over a net, in a box. I’m excellent."

"Overpower. Overtake. Overcome."

"I am lucky that whatever fear I have inside me, my desire to win is always stronger."

"I really think a champion is defined not by their wins but by how they can recover when they fall."

"You have to believe in yourself when no one else does."

"Overpower. Overtake. Overcome."

"I am lucky that whatever fear I have inside me, my desire to win is always stronger."

"I really think a champion is defined not by their wins but by how they can recover when they fall."

"You have to believe in yourself when no one else does."

"Everything comes at a cost. Just what are you willing to pay for it?"

"Luck has nothing to do with it because I have spent many, many hours, countless hours, on the court working for my one moment in time, not knowing when it would come."

"I was just tired of losing... Life was passing me by."

Seven Australia Open and Wimbledon titles each, three at Roland Garros and six more at Flushing Meadows, would make a dream career for any tennis professional. And that's excluding the 16 Grand Slams she has won in the doubles and mixed doubles categories.

But limiting Serena’s success to only Grand Slam titles would be an underachievement. For a woman, who has inspired Kim Clijsters – a legendary Tennis figure herself – to pick up a tennis racquet seven years after calling it quits for the second time and most famously a ‘final time,’ Tennis was never only a sport. Happy Birthday, Serena, Tennis’ Greatest Grand Slam Queen.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 26, 2019 08:30 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).