Serena Williams has not achieved a golden slam

I like Serena Williams, and congratulate her on winning the gold medal today. However, this article I found bothers me because it is misleading. It states that Serena has won a golden slam, which would make her the second person to achieve this feat, after Steffi Graf did in 1988.

The reason the article bothers me is because it’s not true. The recipient of a golden slam is a person who wins all four major tournaments — Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, U.S. Open — and the Olympics in one calendar year. Serena Williams has not done that. In fact, the only person to ever win a golden slam remains Steffi Graf.

I understand that journalists want to create a story of glory around Williams’ accomplishments, but when Steffi Graf retired at the age of 30 in 1999 she had already won 22 grand slam titles, and was the only person in history to win all four major tournaments more than four times. No other player has equaled her.

Let’s keep the facts facts, and celebrate Williams and her gold medal, while also recognizing Graf’s unprecedented and unmatched achievements.