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Who Serena Williams named as her four favourite tennis players to watch when she was young

Originally posted on HITC | By Callum Davies | Last updated Nov 30, 2025 4:02 PM ET

Serena Williams is one of the greatest athletes of all time, but her legend certainly came from humble beginnings.

Making her way onto the tennis circuit is no mean feat, especially alongside an older sister who many had been tipping to be the better of the two.

Naturally, growing up obsessed with achieving greatness in one sport is bound to bring about some idols, with Serena having picked four of her favourites back in 2017.

Asked to name the superstars she watched growing up, rather surprisingly, only one was actually a homegrown hero.

Serena Williams named her favourite players to watch growing up

Speaking at a press conference during the 2017 Australian Open, which she would go on to win, Williams was asked to pick out her favourite players to watch as a youngster.

She began by picking two female powerhouses, noting: “I used to love watching Monica Seles and I loved watching Steffi [Graf].”

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The 44-year-old then added an American, continuing: “I also loved Pete, I wanted to serve like Pete Sampras. That was kind of my thing.”

Williams then concluded by sharing her final pick: “I just liked so many different players. I remember when Zina Garrison got to the finals of Wimbledon; that was so amazing. I loved watching her play whenever I got that opportunity.”

Has Pete Sampras ever praised Serena Williams?

It’s always interesting to see how the different generations of mega-stars interact with one another throughout the tennis world.

After all, with Serena having grown up watching and admiring Sampras, it must have been strange to see the 14-time Grand Slam champion return the favour as recently as 2012.

He admitted: “Serena is the best player in the world.

“It’s nice to see her in great shape. She is also the athlete who is the most beautiful and one of the strongest players of all time. I got to see her at Wimbledon. Her service is an incredible weapon and the grass shows that even more. I think her service is one of the fastest in the history of women’s tennis. She can hit it so hard, but at the same time she has a great control.

“What Serena and Venus have been able to accomplish is great if you think where they come from. They are two great champions. Serena is stronger than any other. Despite having won a lot, she continues to find the right motivation to triumph and every tournament counts.”

This article first appeared on HITC and was syndicated with permission.

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