Boris Becker hails 'trailblazer' Serena Williams after TIME 100 honor

Boris Becker praised Serena Williams as she received the honor of being one of TIME's 100 Most Influential People of 2025. The American tennis icon has taken up entrepreneurship since her retirement and also focuses on family life, raising her two daughters.

On Wednesday, April 16, Williams was announced as one of TIME Magazine's 100 Most Influential People this year. She graced the cover of the magazine and even sat with them for an interview where she discussed her life post-retirement.

The news about her achievement was shared on X, and German tennis legend Boris Becker reacted to it, writing:

"Trailblazer! So much respect for Serena!"

Serena Williams, widely regarded as the greatest player in women’s tennis, retired in 2022 with 23 Grand Slam titles to her name. Since stepping away from the sport, she’s been raising her two daughters — Olympia, 7, and Adira, 1 — while managing her beauty brand, WYN, and her venture capital firm, Serena Ventures.

Alongside her business ventures and motherhood, Williams continues to make high-profile public appearances, from hosting the ESPYs to turning heads at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party and beyond.

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"Serena Williams is certainly the greatest" - When Boris Becker gave his take on the women's GOAT debate

Serena Williams with the 2016 Wimbledon trophy - Source: Getty

Speaking to Laureus.com in 2020, Boris Becker called Serena Williams the greatest women's tennis player of all time. He acknowledged Margaret Court's superior Grand Slam record but pointed out that the Majors were mostly grass-court events at the time.

"Can Serena equal Margaret Court? She is past 30 and she’s become a proud mother. They call her the Greatest of all Time on the women’s circuit, and she certainly deserves the title,” Boris Becker said (via Tennis365).

"Me, being German, I still think of Steffi Graf as our queen, but Serena is certainly, certainly the greatest. Margaret Court is the most successful. Having said that, back in the day, they played three of the four majors on grass, so it was easier if you’re comfortable on grass to win more," he added.

Australia's Margaret Court won 24 Grand Slam titles in her career, from the 1950s to the 1970s. Meanwhile, Williams won 23 Majors and was on the verge of winning a 24th multiple times as she finished a runner-up four times after winning her 23rd title. However, regardless of her shortcomings in the last few years of her career, the American is considered by many as the greatest woman to play tennis.