Serena Williams split two career meetings with Steffi Graf.
Should they meet again, the world No. 1 says she has only one question to ask the only player to win the Golden Slam, collecting all four major titles plus the Olympic gold medal in 1988.
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"I would just ask her what does (winning the Grand Slam) feel like? Just in case it doesn't happen," Serena said today in Cincinnati, prompting laughter from the media after her 6-0, 6-2 conquest of Karin Knapp.
Graf is one of several former Grand Slam champions, including Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert and Monica Seles, who have been supportive of Serena's quest to complete the calendar Grand Slam and continue her climb up the all-time Grand Slam list. Should Williams successfully defend her US Open title, she will equal Graf's mark of 22 Grand Slam titles.
Serena says Steffi's support has been both inspiring and transformative making her feel "like a kid."
"I see her post things about me, and that's pretty awesome," Serena told the media in Cincinnati. "I really am still like a kid when I see her or I see posts. I get super excited. I'm still living the dream. Yeah, she's been really supportive, which is so great to see, you know, and to feel that support."
The Hall of Famer rarely attends tournaments these days, but there is growing speculation she could make the trip to New York should Williams reach her fifth straight US Open final.
Their only career meetings, which were a few months apart in 1999, both went the distance ending with almost identical scorelines.
Graf, who is 13 years older than Williams, won their first encounter, 6-2, 3-6, 7-5 in Sydney. Williams answered with a 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 victory in the Indian Wells final a couple months later.
Photo credit: AP