You can't possibly know, can you? You're 19, and you've spent your whole young life saying you want to win a Grand Slam, that you want to be No. 1, this and that. And you win one, and you still don't know what happens next. You still struggle against the likes of Martina Hingis, Jennifer Capriati, Justine Henin,, your sister. And then before you know it, you've done everything you said you would when you were a kid. Your rivals fade and new ones crop up. You plateau and people question your commitment. You struggle with illness and injury. All along, you keep winning, although your consistency is not there. You leave your emotions on the court, which gets you in trouble sometimes. You keep winning, and it's not always pretty. People stop questioning your commitment and someone notes that you could make history. And you? You just keep doing what you're doing. To the casual observer, event to the most fervent fan, you are extraordinary. It's easy to overlook the path to history and remember the highlights. But if you're the one doing it, you're still just doing what you've always done -- you keep playing.
Here's a picture of Serena yesterday, after winning a record-tying 22nd Grand Slam at Wimbledon:
PHOTOS/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
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