"Serena Williams is the most impressive athlete I've worked with, male or female" - American commercial director

Serena Williams might have retired from professional tennis five months ago, but the appreciation for the iconic player refuses to die down, and deservedly so. The latest to hail Williams is America's legendary television commercial director, Joe Pytka.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion has charmed the world with activities apart from her extraordinary tennis abilities as well. She has made numerous cameo appearances in television shows and movies, along with countless commercials.

Pytka has decades of experience in making music videos, documentaries, and feature films. He has worked on various commercials with some of the world's greatest ever athletes like Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, and Steph Curry.

In the tennis world, Pytka collaborated with stars such as Maria Sharapova, John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Jim Courier, Gabriela Sabatini, and John Newcombe.

Even today, the name from the entire sporting world that resonates with Pytka is Serena Williams, with whom he has worked twice - for Gatorade and IBM. The 84-year-old recently labeled his experience with the former player as "magic," saying that no other athlete was as charismatic as Williams.

“Serena had this power and charisma that was overwhelming, more than any athlete I’d ever worked with,” Pytka said. “The first time I commented on her stroke looking a little strange, her handler told me she was hitting left-handed. We had to get a male pro to hit with her because the female pro we had hired couldn’t get the ball back properly. She is the most impressive athlete I have worked with, male or female. Magic.”

Williams' 27-year-long glorious career came to an end with a third-round loss against Ajla Tomljanovic at the 2022 US Open last September. Her last Grand Slam title came at the 2017 Australian Open when she was eight weeks pregnant with her daughter Olympia.

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Patrick Mouratoglou picks Serena Williams as the GOAT among the women

Patrick Mouratoglou (L) and Serena Williams

French tennis coach Patrick Mouratoglou, who worked with Serena Williams from 2012 to 2022 and led her to multiple Grand Slam titles, recently declared the American legend as the greatest tennis player of all time on the women's circuit.

"Serena in women’s tennis and still tbd (to be determined) in men’s," Mouratoglou tweeted.

The tweet came after the 52-year-old hailed some of the best athletes over the last couple of decades, appreciating the fact that they all peaked around the same time. His list includes Williams, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, LeBron James, Tiger Woods, and Lewis Hamilton.