"Steffi Graf told me in retirement that the only thing she regrets about her career is not enjoying the wins more" - Serena Williams' ex-coach

Serena Williams's former coach, Rennae Stubbs, has shed light on the similar relentless mindset shared by the greats of the sport, like Steffi Graf, Williams, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer.

On the latest episode of the 'Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast,' Stubbs reflected on her winning her maiden Grand Slam doubles title, emphasizing how it served as motivation for further success on tour. She revealed that anything short of a win became a disappointment to her, fueling her determination to win more.

The Australian stated that this mindset, characterized by an insatiable hunger for success and a refusal to rest on one's laurels, was a shared mentality among tennis greats such as Serena Williams, Graf, Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer.

"Like if we lost in the semis or final, freaking disaster. Kind of similar to what Serena would feel when she started winning Grand Slams and losing in quarters, she was like what? And don’t worry everyone, I’m not comparing myself to Serena but when you want to be really great, you know, Serena, Steffi, Novak, Rafa, Roger, when you talk about the greats the last couple years, they want more. They’re never satisfied," she said (at 7:37).

Stubbs also shared an anecdote about a conversation with Steffi Graf post-retirement, revealing that the German confessed that the sole regret she had about her career was not taking the time to savor her victories, as she was always chasing the next win.

"And one of the stories that I always tell about Steffi Graf is that, Steffi told me in retirement she wished she had, that the only thing she regrets about her career is not enjoying the wins more. And I said, 'Yeah but you know you probably wouldn’t have been as great as you were.' I mean, she won 22 Grand Slams at the age of 29," she said.

"Andre Agassi's my idol but I have a hard time being in Steffi Graf's presence without being incredibly starstruck" - Andy Roddick

Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi

Earlier this month, Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf joined forces against John McEnroe and Maria Sharapova in Pickleball Slam 2. The duo dominated the event, completing a remarkable 4-0 sweep against McEnroe and Sharapova.

Andy Roddick, who joined the commentary desk at the event, hilariously disclosed that, despite Andre Agassi being his longtime idol, he always felt "incredibly starstuck" by Steffi Graf.

"Like I've known Andre and he's been my idol for a long time but I have a hard time being in Steff's presence without being like incredibly starstruck. Which, in the tennis world, at this moment in my life, not too sound jaded, I don't get that way around many people in our orbit anymore, having lived this life for a little while," he said on the 'Served with Andy Roddick' podcast.

Roddick also confessed that being in the 22-time Grand Slam champion's presence made him feel like everything he said was simply "idiotic."

"And Steff is like a huge exception, I can't be around around her without feeling like everything I say is just idiotic, which it might be, I'm just more conscious of it," he added.