The story appears on

Page B8

September 28, 2013

GET this page in PDF

Free for subscribers

View shopping cart

Related News

HomeSportsTennis

Serena to top year-end ranking

Serena Williams said yesterday she was not the greatest ever women’s tennis player after securing the year-end world No. 1 ranking for the third time in her glittering career.

But the 32-year-old American power-hitter, now on a career total of 55 titles with 17 major wins, told reporters in Beijing ahead of the China Open that she was “maybe top five.”

Williams achieved the feat in 2002 and 2009, and joins Justine Henin and Martina Hingis as a three-time year-end No. 1, with only Steffi Graf (8), Martina Navratilova (7), Chris Evert (5) and Lindsay Davenport (4) ahead of her.

“I’m not the greatest player. I’m still playing and I’m still trying to reach records. And people like Steffi and Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova and Margaret Court, they are the greatest,” she said. “Maybe top five, but definitely not No. 1. For me it’s an honor to even be mentioned amongst those amazing ladies.”

The American is the top seed at the ATP/WTA China Open, while home favorite Li Na is seeded fourth.

The 2011 French Open winner comes into the tournament after a surge in form which has seen her become the first Asian player to reach the US Open semifinals earlier this month.

Li, 31, also received a boost with the news that she has became the fifth player to qualify for the US$6 million end-of-season WTA Championships.

The world No. 5 booked her place in next month’s grand finale in Istanbul featuring the top eight women’s players yesterday, the tennis organization announced on its website.

Williams, along with Victoria Azarenka, Maria Sharapova and Agnieszka Radwanska, have already qualified for the WTA Championships.


 

Copyright 漏 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.

娌叕缃戝畨澶 31010602000204鍙

Email this to your friend