The 37-year-olds with legitimate claim to the title Greatest of All Time had a point to prove

AMID the jovial nature and exhibition match feel of Serena Williams’s and Roger Federer’s duel in Perth, there was an underlying tension of both players trying to upstage each other

and lay claim to the overall GOAT tag.

In true Federer fashion, he hardly needed to wipe his brow during the Hopman Cup mixed doubles contest, although there were fleeting moments when he let his guard down.

There was the body blow at Frances Tiafoe, Williams’s team-mate, that saw the American comically tumble to the

hard surface. It drew a witty one-liner from Federer: “Sorry, but I meant it.”

Federer’s concentration waned on the next point as he double-faulted, but his focus never slipped when he went toe-to-toe with Williams.

With Switzerland a set up, it wasn’t until the fourth game of the second set that the 37-year-olds indulged in a

baseline rally that drew gasps of giddyness from the 14,000-plus spectators lucky enough to witness the battle of the legends.

Both Federer and Williams were hitting their forehands with verocity, but before a victor could be determined in the rally, Federer switched his line of fire to strike into

Tiafoe’s path, drawing slight groans from the crowd in the process, but ultimately winning the point.

While Williams is an accomplished doubles player, Federer rarely features in the format. Yet it was the Swiss demonstrating his soft hands at the net, dispatching a series of volleyed winners and ensuring his team victory.

At the end, it was Williams who was feeling the effects. She spent the conclusion to the second set rubbing her shoulder, such was the firepower loaded on her serving cannon.

Both players stepped away from their duel with their reputations enhanced, and a memorable selfie to boot.