American veteran Williams gets another chance to match Steffi Graf's professional era benchmark at Wimbledon when the championships start next week, having proved uncharacteristically vulnerable when it matters.
Had it not been for defeat by Germany’s Angelique Kerber in the Australian Open final and Garbine Muguruza at the same stage in Paris, 34-year-old Williams would have already passed Graf and would be set to tie Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24.
Instead, it has all become a bit of a struggle.
Add in her US Open semi-final defeat by Roberta Vinci last year when a calendar slam seemed in her pocket, there are doubts about her finishing skills - and her nerve.
“Something is holding her back, and it could be nerves,” 18-times grand slam champion Chris Evert said.
“Especially against Kerber and against Muguruza, she wasn’t able to dig herself out of the hole like she has in past years. She’s been famous for finding that next gear, that next level, when she's down.”
Three-times Wimbledon champion John McEnroe tips Williams to win a seventh All England Club crown, but says self-imposed pressure could be mounting.
“It’s not easy to try to do what she’s doing, to make history at this stage,” he said.
“There’s not that many people that wouldn’t pick her here. If she’s playing well, she’ll win the tournament.”
Of the challengers, they come in two distinct categories.
The power hitters such as Spain’s Muguruza, twice champion Petra Kvitova, former world number one and rising American Madison Keys. Sadly Victoria Azarenka withdrew with injury.
Then there are the scramblers like world number three Agnieszka Radwanska, Kerber and Simona Halep.
