Can anybody stop Serena Williams from overtaking Steffi Graf’s mark of 22 Grand Slam singles titles? Or, for that matter, even the seemingly impossible record of 24 held by Margaret Court?

Those betting against it would be probably eating their words in about three years’ time after Williams vowed to keep adding the tennis majors to her already bulging trophy cabinet which now boasts a whopping 63 pieces of silverware, including 18 won at Grand Slams.

On Sunday night, she blew away Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki 6-3, 6-3 in the final of the US Open to reach that mark, a distinction she now shares with fellow American legends Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert.

“Maybe the 18th was the most important because I was joining Chrissy and Martina. There was so much on the line between getting to number 18, which has been on my shoulder for so long and I finally got it,” said a tearful Williams.

“I never thought that me, Serena Williams would be in that group. Who am I? I never thought you would mention my name with such greats and legends. I was just a kid with a dream and a racquet. Living in Compton, you know.”

Indeed the struggles of Serena and her sister Venus have been well chronicled. Growing up in crime-ridden Compton in California – where, incidentally, their oldest sister Yetunde Price was killed in a drive-by shooting in 2003 – they beat the odds thanks to the untiring efforts of their parents Richard Williams and Oracene Price.

 Their father is said to have even drafted a plan when the sisters were in kindergarten to turn them into world beaters – and with more than 150 titles to their credit in all formats of the game, nobody can say it didn’t work out well!

The Williams sisters’ influence, however, extends far beyond sport. They are successful businesswomen with interests in fashion and real estate, and are even part owners of the Miami Dolphins NFL team.

As Billy Jean King said:  “As big of a force as they are in our sport, they have transcended tennis, race and gender and this has enabled them to grow and sustain their marketability and their relevance in society. They have overcome so much adversity in their lives and it has made them stronger.”

Serena Williams’ continuing dominance of the women’s game is astounding for a player who made her US Open debut in 1998 when Wozniacki, for example, had just turned eight.

She will be 33 in under three weeks’ time and she admits she’s as tough to beat as ever. It’s an ominous warning to her rivals on the WTA Tour.