Evert Believes Serena Williams Has More Titles Ahead

Written by: Staff on 14th September 2012

Evert Believes Serena Williams Has More Titles Ahead

epa03392594 Serena Williams of the USA poses with the US Open women's singles championship trophy the day after defeating Victoria Azarenka of Belarus in the women's final match of the 2012 US Open Tennis Championship in Central Park in New York, USA, 10 September 2012. Williams defeated Azarenka 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 to win her 15th Grand Slam title. EPA/JUSTIN LANE |

With 18 Grand Slam singles titles to her name, Chris Evert stands equal second in the all-time list of Open era champions alongside Martina Navratilova with only Steffi Graf more successful. But she expects and hopes four placed Serena Williams will soon move higher up the list.

Evert is unconcerned that Williams will turn 31 years old in ten days time on September 24 and saw enough in the title wins at Wimbledon , the Olympics and the U.S. Open to suggest more titles should follow next year.

Williams should head to Melbourne in January as favorite to win a sixth Australian Open title and Evert said: “I would be very pleased for Serena if she won more slams than me, I would like to see that.

“If she can stay healthy and motivated, I can see her staying at the top level for two or three more years, and that could mean another five or six slams. She could get to 20 and maybe get close to Steffi who won 22.”

Williams currently stands fourth on the WTA world rankings but Evert continued: “No disrespect to the other players, but Serena has the edge.

“[ Victoria ] Azarenka played a great tournament, and [Maria] Sharapova had the best year of her career, but Serena’s serve just gives her the edge. She gets so many free points from that. If her serve is working, the rest of her game just flows.”

Evert maintained there was controversy in Williams’ fourth U.S. Open title-win following the incidents with a line-judge during the semi-final of the 2009 against Kim Clijsters and last year’s meltdown at umpire Eva Asderaki during the final against Samantha Stosur.

“It was important to her, after what had happened in New York in recent years, for this to be about her tennis rather than anything else,” said Evert. “I think before she couldn’t understand why all these things happened to her at her home grand slam, in America , but this year she was so calm and focused.”

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