‘Seems to Get Injured a Lot’ – Martina Navratilova Once Used Serena Williams’ Example to Talk About the ‘Fragmented’ Nature of Women’s Tennis

During Martina Navratilova’s active years, three prominent players- Chris Evert, Steffi Graf, and of course, Martina Navratilova herself dominated Women’s tennis. And later, the game was ‘somewhat’ in the hands of the Williams sisters.

However, Women’s tennis is yet to experience another such domination in recent times. The 18-time Grand Slam winner once considered an injury-free Serena as the best bet to dominate the game.

In a lively conversation with a tabloid, Martina, one of the best players in tennis, talked about women’s tennis and the top-ranked players. 

When Martina Navratilova considered an injury-free Serena Williams as the No.1

In a 2012 interview, Martina shared her views on women’s tennis and how injuries created hindrance in Serena’s domination.. According to her, the WTA tour lacks consistency in performances, “Women’s tennis is pretty fragmented.”

Further, she saw potential in an injury-free Serena, to dominate tennis. “We all know that Serena Williams is the best player when she is playing or when she is playing at her best, but she hasn’t been playing much. She seems to get injured a lot,”  added.

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Navratilova also pointed out the interesting case of Caroline Wozniacki, who was at the top in 2011, but was yet to claim any Grand Slam and neither registered consistent victories against top players.

“Nobody thought she was really the tour’s No. 1 because she didn’t have a winning record against the top 10 players. So it’s been kind of a moving thing at the top. But I still feel that Serena is the No. 1 player if she plays full time,” expressed the Czech-American tennis player.

Also read- ‘They Were All Invited…’ – Martina Navratilova Gives It Back to a Fan Over Billie Jean King Not Mentioning Serena Williams in Her Speech at Wimbledon Championships 2022

Navratilova’s assessment was not far from the truth. As the younger Williams sibling has already claimed 23 Grand-slams and shattered numerous records in her two-decade-long career. 

Recent Trends in Women’s Tennis

In recent times, there have been many winners in women’s tennis. With Elena Rybakina taking the Wimbledon Championships in the recently concluded women’s singles; Iga Swiatek claiming French Open 2022; Ashleigh Barty emerging as Australia open 2022 winner. But, the game is yet to experience a consistent trend in terms of performances and subsequent champions.

However, with her magnificent winning streak of 37 matches, Iga Swiatek could emerge as a dominant player.

Who do you think could dominate women’s tennis? Let us know in the comments.