A Hall of Fame icon supports Serena Williams' quest to capture her 23rd Grand Slam championship breaking the Open Era record she shares with Steffi Graf—Graf herself.

The former world No. 1 believes Williams will break both her record and Margaret Court's all-time record of 24 Grand Slam titles.

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"I'm happy for her, I'm excited for her," Graf told CNN's Open Court. "I think it's cool that records are being broken, that's what they're there for.

"She's been phenomenal to the sport of tennis, it's been great to watch. I hope she does break it... I think she's been unbelievable. She's been amazing to watch."



Serena has said 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 said after winning Wimbledon last summer. "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."



World No. 2 Angelique Kerber, who grew up idolizing Graf, could help keep her hero's record of 186 consecutive weeks at world No. 1 intact.

The 34-year-old Williams is three weeks shy of matching Graf's record, but if Kerber wins the Cincinnati title this weekend she will displace Williams as world No. 1 becoming the first German since Graf in 1997 to hold the top spot.

"She's physically really strong. She's a really hard worker," Graf said of Kerber, whom she has trained with in Las Vegas. "Sometimes I felt she wasn't quit believing enough in herself.You could see how it sometimes changed during a match. She's gotten stronger mentally and I think that made a big difference... She can do it all."

The current and former world No. 1 players are even at 22 majors apiece and are deadlocked, 1-1, in their WTA career clashes.