After winning her 23rd singles Grand Slam last weekend at the Australian Open, Serena Williams pulled to within one of the all-time record, one she will attempt to tie and potentially break later this year. That record is 24, set by retired Australian tennis star Margaret Court. However, only 11 of Court's 24 titles came in the "open era," after 1968, when the Grand Slam tournaments (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, U.S. Open) agreed to allow professional players to compete with amateurs. Prior to 1968, only amateurs were allowed to compete in the Grand Slam tournaments.

Therefore, Serena Williams has the record for most Grand Slams by any tennis player, male or female, in the "open era." It's pretty clear that she's the greatest female tennis star ever, better than the likes of Court, Steffi Graf, and Martina Navratilova. But is she the greatest female athlete of all-time?

Well, it's a bit more complicated than just a yes or no answer. First, how does one compare a great female tennis player to a great female basketball player, soccer player, volleyball player, or fighter? Also, what is most impressive? An Olympic gold medal? A World Cup? A Grand Slam championship? A WNBA title? A mixed-martial arts championship?

Another thing to consider is how we treat athletes who play team sports as opposed to individual sports. For example, how do we view soccer's Mia Hamm or the WNBA's Lisa Leslie who played team sports and had help from their teammates winning championships as opposed to Serena Williams or the UFC's Ronda Rousey who step foot onto the tennis court and into the octagon alone with no help from teammates?

For the purpose of this article, I will look at Serena Williams' accomplishments and accolades in comparison to those of other great female athletes. In the case of a tie against a team-sport athlete, I will give the advantage to Serena and reward individual-sport athletes.

First, I reviewed Serena's resume. 23 singles Grand Slam championships, 14 doubles Grand Slam Championships, two mixed doubles Grand Slam championships, and four Olympic Gold medals (3 doubles, 1 singles). All between the years of 1998-2017. 2017 is still in its infancy, meaning Serena is currently in the midst of her 20th year of complete dominance in her sport. That's going to be hard to beat.

I looked at Jackie Joyner-Kersee, an Olympic track and field star and standout basketball player at UCLA. Joyner-Kersee claimed three Olympic gold medals, one silver, and two bronze in her Olympic career competing in the long jump and heptathlon events. She also won four gold medals at World Championships and another gold medal at the Pan American Games. At UCLA, she scored 1,674 points for the Bruins, which places her 19th in scoring in school history. Her track and field accomplishments occurred within the years of 1984-1996. Despite being a two-sport star, Joyner-Kersee just doesn't match the volume of Serena's gaudy dominant numbers.

Steffi Graf has similar numbers to Williams and is easy to compare to since they played the same sport. Graf has 22 singles Grand Slam championships, even completing the "golden slam" in 1988, winning all four Grand Slam tournaments for that year. That's something Serena has never done but she came close in 2015 just missing the U.S. Open. Graf also won one doubles Grand Slam. Unfortunately, the German tennis star's total amount of Grand Slams only equals Serena's singles championships, and she's not done yet. That, and the fact that her reign of terror was considerably shorter than Serena's, only lasting from 1987-1999, puts her behind Williams.

Moving to the hardwood, there were a bunch of great players to choose from. But none have had the careers that Lisa Leslie and Diana Taurasi have had. Leslie was sort of the original star of the WNBA. She's probably the greatest WNBA player of all-time and definitely the most recognizable name. Playing her entire career with the Los Angeles Sparks, Leslie brought two championship to the city of angels in 2001 and 2002. She has won two finals MVP awards and three league MVP awards. She's also an 8-time all-star. One of the greatest females to ever step onto the court, Diana Taurasi is right behind her. The franchise cornerstone of the Phoenix Mercury has brought three championships back to the desert. She's won two finals MVP awards and is a 7-time all-star. The former no. 1 overall pick has also won six Euroleague championships, five Russian league championships, and one Turkish league championship in her overseas playing days. And let's not forget she led UConn to three straight NCAA championships as a part of the famous, unstoppable Geno Auriemma-led Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team. Two great basketball careers but neither are as great as Serena Williams. Her dominance and complete takeover of tennis winning multiple tournaments per year over the course of 20 years beats great 12-14 year basketball careers that include teammates. Sure, the Sparks and the Mercury likely would have zero championships each without Leslie and Taurasi, but they still had help from other players. Serena didn't.

Mia Hamm was the star for the U.S. national women's soccer team from 1987-2004. She scored 158 goals, which was a record that lasted until 2013 when Abby Wambach broke it. Wambach's record has since been broken by Canada's Christine Sinclair. Hamm led the Americans to two World Cup championships, two Olympic Gold medals, one silver, and one bronze. She was also voted FIFA Women's Player of the Year twice. She led a revolution that has made soccer in the U.S. very popular among girls. The current version of the women's national team continues to be very popular and successful. But her accolades don't nearly measure up to those of Serena Williams.

Back to the Olympics, Misty May-Treanor dominated the beach volleyball world for about a decade. She won three Olympic gold medals with her partner Kerri Walsh-Jennings, along with three gold medals at World Championships, one silver, and a bronze at the Pan American games. Misty May and Walsh-Jennings were virtually unbeatable in women's beach volleyball. From 2004-2012 there was no better duo. When Treanor retired, Walsh-Jennings had to settle for bronze in the 2016 games with her new partner April Ross. Misty May-Treanor dominated volleyball in the same way Serena Williams dominates tennis, maybe even better. But she didn't nearly have the longevity that Williams has had.

"Rowdy" Ronda Rousey had an impeccable rise to fame. It was fun to watch. She won the Strikeforce women's bantamweight championship and was the inaugural UFC women's bantamweight champion. She's one of the pioneers of women's mixed-martial arts. She's also an Olympic bronze medalist in judo. She won her first 12 professional fights, and in dominant fashion. 11 of her 12 wins were first round finishes (9 submissions, 3 knockouts). It wasn't even competitive. She would maul anyone who stepped into the cage with her. It was similar to Mike Tyson in his prime. She made every woman in the 135-pound division look like a fool. She was clearly levels above her competition and by far the most dominant female athlete ever. She also became a huge pay-per-view draw for the UFC, which was unprecedented in women's MMA. Then came Holly Holm. At UFC 193, Holm knocked Rousey out cold and took all of her mystique away just like that. Then, after more than a year off, Rousey was completely embarrassed by current champ Amanda Nunes at UFC 207 in typical Rousey fashion. She blocked every one of Nunes' punches with her face. After getting finished via TKO after 48 seconds in the first round, we may or may not see Rousey step into the octagon ever again. Serena Williams never had a fall from grace like Rousey has.

So, after scouring the earth for a female athlete to top Serena's resume and coming up unsuccessful, I have to crown Serena Williams the greatest female athlete of all-time. But, she wouldn't settle for this crown. Truth is, she has a legitimate claim as the greatest athlete of all-time, male or female. But comparisons to male athletes such as Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali, Tom Brady, Babe Ruth, etc., would've been too messy. But she's definitely in the conversation and a great role model for young girls. Anytime a female tennis player steps onto the court and sees Serena Williams on the other side looking back at them, they know they are most likely going to lose. Serena Williams is a tennis legend, pop-culture star, and the greatest athlete of all-time, male or female.