Question: How do you get the greatest female tennis player and greatest male player who have ever lived to face off against each other in a highly competitive match that doesn't involve a charity fundraiser or goofy on-court-banter complete with awkward wireless headsets? Answer: With a little luck at the Hopman Cup.
Serena Williams and Roger Federer welcomed 2019 with a highly anticipated New-Year's-Day mixed-doubles match at the Hopman Cup in Perth, Australia, and the whole world was watching to see what this battle of the titans would look like. To be clear, the Hopman Cup is neither an exhibition nor a "real" ATP/WTA-sanctioned tournament with points and prize money. Rather, it's a Davis-Cup-style tournament where players from around the world represent their countries and compete to win the eponymous trophy. And while the match play is at the same high level as what we see on the tour, players don't have nearly as much on the line, making the overall vibe of the tournament generally more fun and light-hearted.
From the moment the match-up was announced, many looked to cast it as a modern-day "Battle of the Sexes." Would Serena be able to ace Roger? Would Roger be able to ace Serena? Would the outcome finally settle the debate about who the true Greatest of All Time (GOAT) is? From my perspective, none of those questions really mattered. Rather than speculating and drawing conclusions about one player's superiority over another, I chose to just sit back and enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see how the contrasting styles of two legends would match up.
To be fair, there were two other very talented players on the court in this mixed-doubles match, and they most definitely played a role in shaping the outcome. Serena paired up with fellow American Francis Tiafoe and Roger partnered with the Swiss player Belinda Bencic. Both teams showed off excellent serving (for the record, neither Williams nor Federer was able to make a single return off the other's serve in the opening set) and solid groundstrokes. But it was Federer's jaw-dropping speed, technique and anticipation at the net that gave him the edge, allowing team Switzerland to grab the win in straight sets over team USA.
While the mood on court was light and breezy, it wasn't without a few scary moments. While it's not uncommon for players to get hit by high-speed balls in doubles, spectators froze in horror as a ball coming off of Tiafoe's racquet brushed the side of Federer's head. Federer turned out to be fine; the ball had only hit his ear, but the difference of a few inches closer to his face or eyes could have been bad news.
As could be expected, Williams and Federer showered each other with praise and admiration at their post-match interview. Talking about Serena's serve, Roger confessed “I was nervous returning, because you just don’t know. People talk about her serve so much, and I see why it is such a wonderful serve, because you just can’t read it.” “He has a killer serve,” responded Williams. “Literally, you can’t read it, and there’s a reason why he’s the greatest, because you can’t be that great and not have an awesome weapon like that serve.”
Now both age 37, Serena Williams and Roger Federer continue to dominate professional tennis long after anyone could have predicted. Despite their amazing longevity, the day will come when they each decide to hang up their respective racquets, and that day will always feel "too soon" for fans of these two greats of the sport. Despite lacking the drama and intensity of a Grand Slam or Davis Cup final, this match-up between two of the GOATs gave us the opportunity to step back and really appreciate the place they hold in tennis history.
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