Caroline Wozniacki has no doubt about the tennis superiority of her good friend Serena Williams, with the Danish mother of two now on the comeback trail making the point as she prepared on Friday for the Australian Open.
The 33-year-old Dane who stood atop the WTA rankings a dozen or more years ago made her return last August after quitting the game in 2020 to have children.
Now, after producing a daughter and a son, she finds her competitive instinct has returned.
As a veteran of several tennis generations, Woz has limited faith in the talents of the current crop of top players.
None of them – she insists – could beat the now-retired Williams, who has quickly faded from the tennis scene after last playing at the 2022 US Open.
“You can’t really compare someone to Serena, in my opinion,” she said while getting ready for her opening match against Poland’s Magda Linette.
“When Serena was playing her best tennis, I don’t think anyone here would
be able to beat her.
“I’m saying that with having played basically anyone on Tour.”
But she quickly walked back any implied criticism of the current rankings headed by Iga Swiatek with Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina following in the wake.
“I think we have very strong players who are performing at a very high level. I think we’re pushing tennis in the right direction.
“It’s hard to compare apples with pears. The old Top 10 had the greatest of all time – if not of all tennis but women’s tennis.
“It’s hard to be compared to her (Williams).”.
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