PARIS, FRANCE - JUNE 3: Serena Williams of USA during Day 8 of the 2018 French Open at Roland Garros stadium on June 3, 2018 in Paris, France. Photo: Jean Catuffe (Getty Images)
Caroline Wozniacki believes the current crop of top 10 stars are “pushing tennis in the right direction”, but doubts they would be able to keep up with Serena Williams when the tennis great was playing her best tennis.
Former world No 1 Wozniacki is preparing to play at the Australian Open for the first time since 2020 after she came out of retirement in mid-2023.
She competed against a completely different generation of players than she was used upon her return as the likes of Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina and Coco Gauff are at the forefront of the women’s game.
When the Dane made her debut and up until her retirement, the likes of Venus and Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, Angelique Kerber and Victoria Azarenka dominated tennis.
When asked how the current generation of players compare to someone like Serena Williams, the 2018 Australian Open champion replied: “I got into doing a bit of commentating. I thought that was a lot of fun. I got to watch basically all the players, players that I hadn’t met or seen before. I was following a lot.
“I think it’s hard to compare the old top 10 with the new top 10. Obviously a few of the players that are in the top 10 now or top of the game were playing when the old top 10 was there.
“I mean, you can’t really compare someone to Serena, in my opinion. I think when Serena was on, when she 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.
“With that being said, I think we have very strong players, players that are performing at a very high level. I think we’re pushing tennis in the right direction.
“I think there’s a lot more players that are playing on a very high level. That’s been a continuous thing for quite a while now. Again, I think it’s hard to compare apples with pears. The old top 10 had the greatest of all time, if not of all tennis, but female and women’s tennis. It’s hard to be compared to her.”
Wozniacki isn’t the only former world No 1 who is making a comeback as three-time Grand Slam winner Kerber will play in her first major at the Australian Open since becoming a mother last February.
The Dane admits it is nice that the “older generation” is still competing at the top.
“In general, we just catch up on a regular basis, even when we weren’t on tour, seeing how life kind of was going,” Wozniacki said. “It’s nice to see her back.
“It’s great to still have our generation here. There’s a lot of young players. Some players were probably born the year I turned pro. I definitely feel young on the inside, but I realize I’m no longer in my 20s. In tennis, I’m in the older generation.”
