"Chris Evert & Martina Navratilova were so great, no one might do what they did": When Serena Williams' dad Richard contemplated daughter's Slam tally

Serena Williams once refused to put a number on the number of Grand Slam titles she wanted under her belt when she retired. Her father, Richard Williams, also ruminated on whether she had the ability to surpass Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova's record after her victory at the 2010 Wimbledon Championships.

That year, Williams entered the grasscourt Major as the top and defending champion. She continued to dominate at SW19, beating the likes of Maria Sharapova, Li Na, and Petra Kvitova to reach the final without dropping a set. The American then triumphed over Vera Zvonareva 6-3, 6-2 in the final to clinch her 13th Grand Slam title, surpassing Billie Jean King's tally of 12 Majors.

With Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova's record of 18 Grand Slam titles up ahead, Serena Williams' victory prompted debate about whether she could reach the milestone. Speaking to the press afterwards, her father Richard Williams expressed his belief that his daughter possessed the determination to equal the heights of Evert and Navratilova's greatness.

"She's so mentally determined, and she has this attitude that she's not supposed to lose. I think that helped pull her through. With Serena's determination, she could win a few more [majors]. Look at Chris Evert and Martina, they were so great. No one might do what they did," he said (via ESPN).

Meanwhile, in her post-match press conference, Serena Williams revealed that she didn't spend her time contemplating her Slam tally. The American emphasized that she would prefer to be remembered as a philanthropic and inspirational figure rather than for how many Majors she won.

"No. I mean, I know Martina and I guess five other people are ahead of me. I didn't even know I was six on the list or seven or whatnot. I'm telling you, I don't think about that kind of stuff. My thing is I love my dogs; I love my family; I love going to the movies; I love reading; I love going shopping. Like it's not on my list to be, you know, this," Serena Williams said.

"At the end of the day, I would love to open more schools in Africa or in the United States, and I would love to help people. I would like to be remembered, Okay, yeah, she was a tennis player, but, wow, she really did a lot to inspire other people and help other people. That's what I think about, not about Serena Williams won X amount of Grand Slams," she added.

Nevertheless, Williams stated that the triumph was especially meaningful for her because she had broken Billie Jean King's Slam record and also clinched her fourth Wimbledon title.

Serena Williams surpassed Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert's Slam record at Australian Open 2015

Martina Navratilova, Serena Williams and Chris Evert - Source: Getty

Serena Williams eventually surpassed Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova's tally at the 2015 Australian Open as she clinched her 19th Grand Slam title after beating Maria Sharapova 6-3, 7-6(5) in the final.

Following her triumph, the American set her sights on Steffi Graf's all-time Open Era record of 22 Majors. Speaking in her post-match press conference, Williams acknowledged that it would be a difficult task to win another three Slams but admitted that she would love to reach the milestone.

"I would love to get to 22. I mean, 19 was very difficult to get to. Took me 33 years to get here, so... I would love to get there. But I have to get to 20 first, and then I have to get to 21. There's so many wonderful young players coming up, so it will be a very big task," she said.

Serena Williams ultimately broke Graf's record by winning her 23rd Grand Slam title at the 2017 Australian Open while pregnant with her daughter Olympia. Andre Agassi later revealed how his wife felt about Williams' feat.