- Serena Williams said she has "already broken the record" for most Grand Slam titles.
- She has the opportunity to tie Margaret Court's 24 titles in next month's US Open.
- Williams previously said she "obviously" wants to break Court's record.
Serena Williams said she has already "broken the record," for most Grand Slams, taking pressure off of her September US Open appearance where she has the opportunity to match Margaret Court's record of 24 titles.
"I've already broken the record," Williams said, speaking to the "Today" show. "So I think it's just someone else's vision and mine is just to … I never dreamed of having this many Grand Slams or titles. I just thought I would just play tennis and maybe win a Grand Slam or two. So for me, it's all a bonus."
Williams announced her transition to retirement from tennis earlier this month. While she did not announce that it would be her last appearance on the court, many have speculated that the US Open will be Williams' final tournament.
In a column for Vogue earlier in August, Williams seemingly contradicted her comments from Friday, saying she'd be "lying if I said I didn't want that record," referring to Court's 24-time title.
"There are people who say I'm not the GOAT because I didn't pass Margaret Court's record of 24 grand slam titles, which she achieved before the 'open era' that began in 1968," Williams wrote. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't want that record. Obviously I do."
"But day to day, I'm really not thinking about her," she added. "If I'm in a grand slam final, then yes, I am thinking about that record. Maybe I thought about it too much, and that didn't help. The way I see it, I should have had 30-plus grand slams."
