Serena Williams on the Mount Rushmore of sports?! 👀 Stephen A. & Mad Dog debate | First Take 

167 single titles 177 double tiltes. Won 1442 games out of 1661 in singles. Won 747 games out of 890 in doubles. I love Serena but Martina played way more and won way more

Mad dog corrected Stephen A that Yvonne Goolagong won a championship while pregnant - she actually lost in the final of the US Open to Chris Evert when she was pregnant in 1976

Mad Dogg says some outrageous things sometimes but if I'm being honest it's nice to have someone on these shows who actually have full knowledge of sports like he doesn't fall into recency bias he actually have great knowledge he has me interested in this show again

Bro when’s Molly gonna understand that she’s got there to debate she’s there to moderate why can’t first take replace her with someone who dosent interupt every five seconds

0:53, In my opinion Mad Dog Russo is the greatest sports talk show host of all time. He has knowledge of all sports and knows the history of the respective sports also. And he always allows fans to call his show to talk to him, argue, disagree, agree, have fun with it. He was rightfully inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame this year. And he and Stephen A. are great together on First Take.

I have been a Serena fan since the 2000s when I started watching tennis, I didn’t know steffi graf won 22 slams by the age of 30 when she retired. And when she retired she was ranked #3. If we want to go by numbers then Serena gets it but men when I saw that little stat nobody is mentioning I was blown away. Love Serena but felt like winning that many titles by 30 is kinda crazy.

Mad dog just wiped the floor with these two, sheesh

No lie, when they pulled up Martina’s records, I was like WHOA!! But, I’m asking a true honest question, would this be similar as MJ 6 rings and/Or Kareem and B. Russell.?? MJ dominated and elevated, but times were “different” back then

Mad dog got a strong argument he knows his tennis

Feel bad for mad dog he’s gotta talk to ppl who don’t know nothing about the sport

As a huge tennis fan, Russo is so right here and I'm really happy to see someone in US media actually respect history. Serena is 'one of the goats' in singles women's tennis, but she's not clear in front at all- if anything behind Graf and Navratilova. As a person even less deserving of the 'greatness' moniker.

I got Steffi Graff> 22 and the golden slam, HUGE

I love how mad dog acknowledges better competition in this argument but fails to do this with nba and nfl

Serena, Lewis Hamilton and Tiger Woods had it different. All dominated in sports not specifically traditionally tailored as a top sport for POC. THEY ELEVATED IN WAYS UNEXPECTED. 👑👑👑

It’s a tough call. You do this with every sport and they all say there’s no way to compare. Even the equipment used now is far superior and enhances Serena’s physical strength which his clearly her advantage. Would love to have seen Martina use the racquets they do now.

She's for sure the goat of her era.

its hard... gotta consider that graf retired 10 yrs younger and is only 1 grand slam behind serena... that's dominance

Martina Navratilova is the best pound for pound women tennis player of all time

Mad dogg is right. The one thing most people can't argue against is that there has been a lack of consistent top tennis players in the women's circuit (outside of the Williams) for a while now. Personally Steffi Graff is still my favourite but I also wouldn't rule Navratilova purely because of her longevity.

After seeing Martina's enormous advantage in titles it's funny even to compare them.

Mad Dog Russo was the one bright spot of Max getting shifted off of First Take. He's such a passionate old-timer fan

I like to have a Mt Rushmore for each sport type because they’re all different with separate standards. Team, Solo, Motor, Combat, etc. But she’d be on the woman’s, idk about overall solo. My lists would be Team: Jordan, Gretzky, Maradonna, Messi Solo: Woods, Nadal, Federer, Nicklaus Olympic: Bolt, Phelps, Owens, Biles Combat: Ali, Tyson, Jones, Medved Motor: Petty, Earnhardt, Johnson, Hamilton

Before I watched this segment, I was like, "This is a no-brainer. Serena is the GOAT of women's tennis! It ain't debatable." However, Mad Dog articulated a very strong argument for why it IS arguable, and why Martina Navratilova could be the GOAT......

He knows his tennis

Stephen A. Bringin that real back to 1st take I love it.

Jordan, Woods, Brady and Serena? I wouldn't hate it.

Mad Dog is the man!!! He is so knowledgeable!!!@@

It's impossible to compare players from different eras just like it's impossible to compare players from different sports

Mad dog actually had some good and valid points

Bro how tf do you look at Martina record and say it’s an argument. She eclipses Serena by a Mile an a half

They need to stop this, Martina will never be unseated, she's like the Wilt of women's tennis but with Bill Russell's championship record

Serena dominated her era and went through different social issues too. She can easily be considered the GOAT. Martina didn’t dominate her era but she won grand slams in doubles and mixed doubles too. She also went through some social issues too. There is no question either one can be considered the GOAT

If like Smith says she has a level of dominance that she has no peers.Then why did it take Serena 11 more grand slams to reach Steffi's GS total ? This so called most dominant,undisputed GOAT (In people like Smith's eyes) has one more GS than Steffi but played in 27 more of them.🤔

Mad Dog is right; it's out of Serena. Graff and Martina.

Seles already had 8 grand slams before she turned 20. She was stabbed at age 19. She was never the same after that.

Yeah

The best case against Serena is the competition she faced versus the competition MN and SG faced does not stack up.

In USA women’s tennis and soccer is so much more watchable and enjoyable than the men’s IMO. I worked for 3 weeks at US OPEN in NYC summer 2018. I became a BIG FAN since then. That’s when Osaka beat Williams in the finals. Been hooked ever since, can’t wait to go in a few weeks. One of the best sporting events in the WORLD! Energy is unmatched. Love the history behind tennis too.

Just like Montana and Brady , When Joe won 4 Super Bowls , there was no penalties for hitting low , helmet to helmet to protect the quarterback etc etc .... Brady would have not survived

Love mad dogs Knowledge this Brotha comes prepared

Yes

I like how these guys dont even mention martina hingis, imo in her prime was the best woman to play the game of tennis

Zone defenses has basically made post players irrelevant. MJ would never be able to post up had zone existed in the 1990s. Illegal defense also had a strange ruling in the 90s.

I remember when Shannon Sharpe put Serena Williams and Michael Phelps over Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali, and Tom Brady on the sports GOATs of Mount Rushmore... 🤣

Mad Dog is right

If Stephen meant the "Mt. Rushmore of Tennis", then yes, certainly Serena get her just due...but not on the "Mt. Rushmore of All Sports". To enshrine Serena on the "former" monument is righteous, and it also bolsters the point of both presenters here that there is some debate as to whom the GOAT title can be assigned. To carve out her likeness on the "latter" monument as one of four greatest athletes across all sports is problematic to say the least. The real Mt. Rushmore is reserved for people who have served the US as president (one "sport" or title); if we were to start including governors, senators, et. al. on that cliff-side wall, the result would be a dilution of the historic gravitas of said monument. Overall it's better to keep Serena's achievements, career, and legacy within the realm of tennis, and not worry about comparing her with other eras and/or (team) sports. Serena Williams place in sports history is secure, and that history will show that she made her place in the world through tennis.

Dont know who the best ever is since I havent seen Navratilova but i have been watching tennis since 2000 maybe and Hingis, Justine and Kim were rly good competitors, especially Justine. She had some breaks in career, there wasnt so many availabile info in those days so I dont know why but if she had a career without that many breaks, she could have been among top 10 ever. Same probably goes for Hingis :)

Absolutely. Barry bonds, Lebron , Brady , Gretzky and Serena.

Navratalova has 41 grand slams in doubles on top of her 18 grand slams. 13 tour finals campionships.

When I saw this I was like ,oh oh, SAS is back. Let us revisit this lol

I completely agree with Doggie which is shocking!

Mad Dog is a sports encyclopedia

Yup - and what of Martina Hingis

BLESSINGS

When Steffi called it a day at 30, she had 22 slams under her belt. Serena is almost 41, still playing (yes, she is about to retire) and has 1 more Grand Slam than Steffi. Think about that for a minute.

Mount Rushmore of Sports. MJ, Pele, Gretzky, Tom Brady. Those 4 dominated , famous and culturally significant than any others.

More tennis please ESPN !!!!

huh? we knew lebron was the best for a decade until he got old............ literally stopped giving him the mvp award on purpose so he couldnt catch MJ

Stephen A talking about tennis is like him talking about boxing and UFC 😂😂😂😂😂

Serena was the best, however it’s tennis. Just like woods with golf or Phelps with swimming or JJ driving nascar, these sports figures go into a different category in my opinion.

Eeeeehhhh, I see what you are saying Dog, but put Serena to play against Martina, Steffi, and Monica. She would've smoked them all. And you know this! Her best opponent was Venus!!!

Come on, not even close. MJ, Brady, Ruth, Lebron, Ali, Gretzky, Tiger, etc.

The women’s field was deeper in the 2000s. Who are the other women in the 80s? Tracy won 2 US OPENS

Definitely

Mad dog makes some points

Can anyone explain the new bright color jackets and ties Stephen A is wearing since his comeback? Is it a new look or a trying to compete with Micheal Irvin preparing for the Cowboys visit

To me it comes down to difficulty. Tennis is not comparable to Sports like Football or Basketball let alone Boxing or MMA. She's definitely the best female Tennis player but that doesnt mean she's a Top 4 athlete. Just like Tiger Woods for instance, let's just say he's the GOAT Golfer, that doesnt compare to Ali in Boxing, LT in Football & etc

She's definitely on the Mt Rushmore of female tennis players. That's about it though. I wouldn't have her on my all time Mt. Rushmore.

"Osaka quit, WHOS SHINED!"

Seems like they forgot about Billie Jean King

Graf retired on top. She still could have played a few more years and won more grand slam titles but decided to retire and be a mom/wife. I’d put Serena on Mt. Rushmore of women’s tennis but of all sports? That’s a hard no.

Mad dog keeps saying that serena wouldn't have won as much if she had to play against the same three or four women he keeps mentioning. Those women aren't winning as much if they had to face serena so that argument is a wash.

Australian tennis player Margaret Court. She won 64 Grand Slam events (24 singles, 19 doubles, 21 mixed doubles), which is a record for a male or female player. Her 24 Grand Slam singles titles and 21 in mixed doubles are also all-time records for both sexes. She achieved a career Grand Slam in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles. She is one of three women to have achieved the calendar year Grand Slam in singles (alongside Steffi Graf and Maureen Connolly), and is the only woman to have achieved the mixed doubles Grand Slam, which she did twice. Court won more than half of the Grand Slam singles tournaments she played (24 of 47). She won 192 singles titles before and after the Open Era, an all-time record.[1] Her career singles win-loss record was 1,177-106, for a winning percentage of 91.74 percent on all surfaces (hard, clay, grass, carpet), is also an all-time record. She won at least 100 singles matches in 1965 (113-8), 1968 (107-12), 1969 (104-6),[2] 1970 (110-6),[3] and 1973 (108-6).[4] She won more than 80 percent of her singles matches against top 10 players (297-73) and was the year-end top ranked player seven times.

Comparing 23 titles is like saying brady is the goat because he has the most rings... and it is debatable. Montana would have something to say with his superb SB stats and record.

Roger Federer won 30 more titles then her and he's not even brought up in the same light. He had to compete against Nadal and Djokovich, while Serena never had a real rival other than her sister.

Sales wasn't really competition to Navratilova. Chris Evert was her only real true competitor and between them they were almost always in every GS final. That's down to their talent and hard work, but also due to a lack of depth in women's tennis at the time. Ditto with Graff, the one real competitor she faced would have eclipsed her, had it not been for the stabbing. For me, Serena is no doubt the greatest.

The Mount Rushmore of sports is (Bill Russel, Tom Brady (uggghhh), Wayne Gretzky and Ali)

Yo is he the boxer expert skip Bayless aka Skip boxless lol

Stephie Graph and Monica Seles were FIRE

The TENNIS Mount Rushmore, probably. But ALL sports?! That's just comedy.

It’s Open for decision

Yes of.women sports

There are people like Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo (the clear best in the biggest Sport in the world). I know they are not getting mentioned by American Media but Stephan A. shouldn't just throw her into Mount Rushmore conversations. For me its Ronaldo, Jordan, Messi and Woods/Phelps/Brady.

Stop playin with Mad Dog 😡💯

The four greatest female tennis are Martina Navratilova, Serena Williams Steffi Graf and Monica Seles. Mad Dog makes a great point about Martina. We sometimes forget how great she was. She also started the power game ( not Steffi ). Who is the greatest?. I guess it depends on how YOU choose to measure greatness, Monica is on my list because of the eight majors she won by age nineteen.

Mount Rushmore of tennis for sure. Of sports in general? Uh no.

I agree 100% with Mad dog on this one to me what puts Steffi Graf over Serena even though she has one less grand slam is the grand slam she won in one calendar year along with the Olympic gold and not to mention the way better competition she had to deal with ditto Martina.

I think if you talk Mount Rushmore of modern sports (very important that it is measurable athletes) and you got to factor in participation of the sport globally, because if you are the best in the world at football/soccer well you most likely are #1 because you're competing against hundreds of millions who participate for that slot. What are the next 3 largest sports globally is my question? She's def on the Mt. Rushmore of Women's tennis, but what's the participation globally? Hundreds of thousands ?

SAS couldn't match Mad Dogg in debating about the game of tennis, so we argued Legacy. Genius! 🙃

She isn’t even in the Mount Rushmore of tennis, she is in the Mount Rushmore of woman’s tennis that is it.

Jordan - Ali- Pele- and babe Ruth.

You can't put on her on Rushmore ahead of the best mens tennis players imo

Someone should tell Molly to stop saying "yeah yeah", when it is not her turn to talk. It is really annoying. Can't they remove this in post processing?

Mt rushmore of SPORTS sas?? That’s a huuuuge stretch 😅 we’re talking people like Ali, Messi, Jordan, Gretski, Brady.. She’s definitely mt rush of tennis tho

You can make an argument for any of the 3 Mad Dog mentioned (for me the only 3 real contenders), but I've never seen anyone be as dominant as Steffi Graf was at her best. The woman won 22 GS titles in 11 years and retired at 30!

The mt,Rushmore of sports, speak on it Mr Smith ,speak on it .

Are we talking "American" sports or "World" sports. Eddy Merckx, Muhammad Ali, Pele, Jesse Owens.....

Venus is on that level before her diagnosis.

Sooooooo y’all didn’t hear jalen ???? Huh??

Prime Venus and Clijsters beat the breaks off everyone Mad Dog mentioned. He’s tripping.