Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were one of the most consistent and successful tennis players of the past 20 years, widely regarded as some of the greatest ever. However, former World No. 1 and Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki has a different answer as to who is the true GOAT of the sport: Serena Williams.
Back in 2022, the Danish star spoke to Tennis Channel about what made Williams, who is also one of his close friends, great. Asked how they could develop a friendship while also competing against each other, Wozniacki responded with humor.
“Probably because she beat me way too many times,” she joked, before praising Williams as the greatest player. “No, but really I think the fact that she’s just a great person. She’s not only, in my opinion, the greatest tennis player of all time, the greatest that I have ever played against; she pushed me and all the other women to play better and step up, but also off the court, she’s so thoughtful,” she said.
“If I ever went through anything, she would be the first person to call and knock on my door to make sure that I was okay. I really appreciate that she has given back so much both on and off the court, and I think that’s what makes her so special,” she added.
Serena Williams and Caroline Wozniacki during the trophy ceremony at the 2014 US Open (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
Despite their good relationship, Wozniacki admitted that it was “hard” to play against Williams. “There was a lot of tournaments that I feel I could have probably won or Grand Slams I could have won if she hadn’t been in my way. But at the same time, what an honor to be at the same time as her because I really got to play against again, for me, the best player to ever play this game,” she explained.
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Williams is definitely one of the greatest tennis players ever, having enormous success both in singles and doubles, something that no member of the “Big Three” did. The youngest Williams sister won 23 Grand Slams, the most for any woman in the Open Era, as well as four Olympic gold medals, one in singles and two in doubles with her sister Venus.
Apart from conquering the career Golden Slam in both singles and doubles, Williams also spent 319 weeks as the WTA World’s No. 1, the third-most of all time. Apart from that, she achieved two non-calendar year Grand Slams, which were nicknamed the “Serena Slams.”
Apart from that, Williams, alongside with her sister Venus, is credited with changing the game, especially in women’s tennis, due to their power play, inspiring players such as Coco Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka or Sloane Stephens.
Meanwhile, Wozniacki herself was able to break through in the WTA Tour, holding the World No. 1 for a total of 71 weeks, including two year-end in 2010 and 2011. She also won 30 WTA Tour-level single titles, including the 2018 Australian Open and the 2017 WTA Finals. While she retired in 2020, she recently had a comeback to the tour.
