With 23 titles under her belt, Serena Williams is hailed as one of the best woman tennis players, if not the best.
Who can ever replace Williams’ place and take over the throne? So okay, she was displaced several times as world’s No. 1. But the article is talking about her legacy of winning.
At the recently concluded US Open Finals, Bianca Andreescu won her maiden Grand Slam title with 6-3, 7-5. Other than that, she has a fantastic record this year so far at 45-4, beating the top 10 players including Williams.
But Andreescu, the 2019 US Open Finals champion, is not the only one.
Here are the list of other players who could be Williams heir apparent
Belinda Bencic
Bencic broke through the tennis scene in 2012. Her biggest triumph yet was at the Rogers Cup where she beat Caroline Wozniacki, Eugenie Bouchard, Sabine Lisicki, Ana Ivanovic, and Williams herself. She also has a career-high No. 7 ranking.
Simona Halep
Halep is one of the most consistent tennis players, ranking as the world’s No. 1 twice (2017 and 2019). In 2019, she bested Williams at the Wimbledon finals with her offensive, aggressive play. She has another Grand Slam title, the French Open (2018). She is often compared with Justine Henin, who praised the Romanian superstar’s intelligent game.
Naomi Osaka
Osaka was the other half of the infamous 2018 US Open finals, defeating Williams and receiving her trophy amidst the booing crowd. She has also won the 2019 Australian Open, giving her second Grand Slam title. Osaka is known for her aggressive playstyle combined with a powerful serve. She is also one of the most marketable athletes worldwide, ranking second behind Williams,
Ashleigh Barty
Barty won the 2019 French Open for singles. She also played the doubles in the 2018 US Open and won the title. Other than that, she has a career record of 220-83 which means, like Williams, she has the highest winning potential among all the players on the list.
Elina Svitolina
Svitolina reached the highest ranking of No. 3 in 2015, while her current ranking is No. 5 (August 2019). She has never won a single Grand Slam title, but she the Tour Finals 2018 winner.
Petra Kvitova
Kvitova has won the Wimbledon trophy twice, against Maria Sharapova in 2011 and Bouchard in 2014. She also appeared in the finals of the Australian Open in 2019. Kvitova currently ranks 6th in all-time rankings.
Madison Keys
Keys won her first WTA singles title in 2014. She consistently appears in the semifinals, quarterfinals and finals of Grand Slam match. She reached a career-high of No. 7 ranking, appearing in the top 25 since 2015.
Sloane Stephens
Stephens reached and beat Williams at the 2013 Australian Open when she was just a teenager. At the 2017 US Open championship, she went against Keys for an all-American match. She also has a Grand Slam title to boast of, the 2017 US Open. Stephens is slowly gaining her momentum, appearing in the Tour Finals in 2018.
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