Serena Williams continues to have an impact on the WTA Tour, despite no longer being an active player.
Williams retired at the 2022 US Open, ending her decorated career with an Open Era record of 23 major singles titles.
On top of that she has also won 14 women’s doubles Grand Slams with her older sister Venus Williams, who is still yet to retire.
Although she is no longer an active WTA player, Serena was spotted at the Miami Open and even offered feedback to Novak Djokovic during one of his matches.
Maria Sakkari makes claim about what Serena Williams has done to women’s tennis
During a live episode of the Tennis Insider Podcast with Elena Rybakina, Caroline Garcia, Maria Sakkari and Jasmine Paolini, Serena Williams was a big topic of conversation.
When discussing the future of the WTA Tour, former world number three Sakkari explained how Williams has shaped women’s tennis for the better.
Sakkari described Williams as ‘the greatest athlete’ and claimed that current WTA players need to carry her legacy forward.
“I think female tennis is in my opinion the number one female sport in the world,” said Sakkari. “We have great ambassadors and I think Serena really helped for that. For me Serena is the greatest athlete, not just tennis player, that has achieved those things. Mind blowing things.
“We all try to win one Slam, she has 23! It’s an incredible number. She has played a big role in putting tennis as the number one sport in the world in women’s.
“We have to keep it up, as there are other sports catching up and coming after us but I feel like we are lucky because we play every week, so we are seen every week, which is a big factor. You have many players nowadays who are playing great tennis, so that raises the level.”
Caroline Garcia names Coco Gauff when speaking about the strength of the WTA Tour
One of the players leading women’s tennis in 2025 is WTA Finals champion Coco Gauff, who is also a major champion having won the US Open two years ago.
Tennis Insider co-host and former world number four Garcia pointed out Gauff as a current star on the WTA Tour, and explained that she thinks women’s tennis is in a good place at the moment.
“Coco is doing amazing in the US and she is bringing a lot of fans and a lot of new girls,” said Garcia. “We have a lot of different, new identities. Every player comes with a strong identity and everyone can find their own big hero.
“Before it was two or three people, now I think there is way more players with big identities and values who are bringing something to the table and that will help women’s tennis and WTA to keep growing.”
Despite being one of the best ranked players on the WTA Tour, Gauff has struggled for form in recent weeks.
Gauff will look to turn that around during the clay court season, where she will begin as the third seed at the Stuttgart Open.
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