By Richard Pagliaro | Thursday, December 19, 2019
"Preseason just got really real," said Serena Williams squaring up with Mike Tyson.
Photo credit: Mike Tyson Instagram
Warning all players: if you face Serena Williams in 2020 better bring your headgear.
Showing let's get ready to rumble spirit, Serena took pre-season training to new knockout levels.
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Serena's new sparring partner is former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson.
The four-time Olympic gold-medal champion shared video of her sparring with Iron Mike on social media.
Serena looks comfortable practicing the sweet science. Williams, who aspires to combine the hand speed of a young Sugar Ray Leonard with the punching power of George Foreman, captioned the video: "preseason just got really real @miketyson #mouratogloupreseason."
Next month, the 23-time Grand Slam champion will launch her latest quest to claim her 24th major and match Margaret Court's all-time record on the 50th anniversary of the Aussie's 1970 Grand Slam at the Australian Open.
Williams has lost four consecutive major finals, including bowing in straight-sets to Simona Halep at Wimbledon and losing to Canadian sensation Bianca Andreescu in the US Open final. Serena's last Grand Slam title came at the 2017 Australian Open.
Nineteen years after the Williams sisters squared off in their first professional meeting in Melbourne, Serena hit her way into history defeating Venus, 6-4, 6-4, to claim her seventh Australian Open title and Open Era-record 23rd Grand Slam championship, breaking the mark she shared with Steffi Graf.
Training with Tyson may well be part of Serena's effort to re-assert her authority as an imposing closer.
In tennis and boxing, strong legs, fast reflexes and an appetite for the fight are crucial components to survival.
The question is: can a 38-year-old Serena summon the gladiator within to knockout the dangerous pack of young players and hit her way into history in Melbourne?
Or will advancing age, diminishing court coverage, the pressure of pursuing history and young athletic talents including world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty, Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka and Andreescu conspire to send Serena staggering through a painful career twilight?
Williams has a long history with boxing. Serena has cited Muhammad Ali as one of her sporting heroes, she's worked with trainer Mackie Shilstone, who has trained boxing champions Roy Jones Jr. and Bernard Hopkins, and at her best Williams' imposing explosiveness evokes Tyson's tactical philosophy: "Everybody's got a plan—until they get punched in the face."
Mike Tyson's daughter, Milan, is an avid junior player, who cites the Williams sisters among her tennis role models. The fighter once dubbed "baddest man on the planet" is not only a tennis fan, who has attended Indian Wells and Roland Garros, he's an energetic player as well.
Go to about the 3:11 mark of the video below to see Tyson share the court with his daughter.
As you might expect from a knockout artist who once said this of his jolting power—"My power is discombobulating devastating"—Tyson can crack the ball though it looks like he'd benefit from a grip change on his two-handed backhand.
This isn't the first time Tyson has gone toe-to-toe with a tennis icon.
The native New Yorker recalled playing tennis vs. Hall of Famer Martina Navratilova in a past interview with tennis/boxing writer Scoop Malinowski, bestowing the GOAT title on the legendary lefty.
“I hit with Martina Navratilova when she stayed at my house in New Jersey (Bernardsville)," Tyson told Scoop Malinowski. "I played with her. She was the greatest.”
Hall of Famer Gigi Fernandez offered an opposing point of view on the GOAT.
In the interview conducted before Williams had won her 20th Grand Slam title, Tyson said he regarded Navratilova as a more complete player than Williams because of her longevity and her skill mixing power, subtlety and angle in an all-court game.
"It's not about intensity and power," Tyson said then. "It's about calm and self control."
Indeed, those are qualities Williams will need to raise her 24th Grand Slam title and match Margaret Court.
Something tells me Serena will be ready to rumble when the bell rings.