"Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams were huge personalities; you can't compare today's girls with them" - Karolina Pliskova

In a recent interview, former World No.1 Karolina Pliskova talked about Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova's absence from the sport. She stated that today's players don't quite measure up to the two erstwhile legends.

Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams are two of the most iconic figures in the world of WTA. Despite their recent retirements, their impact on the sport is expected to last well into the foreseeable future.

Williams decided to end her more than two-decade-long career, which saw her win 23 Grand Slam titles and more, at the 2022 US Open. Meanwhile, Sharapova bid farewell to tennis in 2020, having five Majors in her kitty, among other achievements.

In an interview posted on Sunday (December 17) on X (formerly Twitter), Karolina Pliskova was seen answering questions about the evolution of the WTA. The Czech claimed that current WTA players have been unable to fill the void created by Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova's retirements.

Pliskova believes that "charisma" played a major role in what made the duo special.

“I guess not only I feel that it's not entirely ideal, even though each of today's top girls has something to offer. I won't comment on the tennis aspect, but charisma plays a role too. Sharapova and Serena were huge personalities, even in the marketing world. You can't compare today's girls with them,” Karolina Pliskova said.

Karolina Pliskova turned 31 in March 2023. She is currently ranked 36th on the WTA rankings. In the 2023 season, she reached her fourth Australian Open quarterfinal but was knocked out by Polish star Magda Linette.

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Pliskova believes the WTA isn't helping women players grow and that it doesn't promote the sport much

2015 Australian Open - Sharapova and Williams

During the interview, Pliskova expressed dissatisfaction with the efforts of the women's tennis governing body, the WTA. She stated that the WTA isn't adequately promoting younger players and believes women's tennis is being sidelined.

"I think that in this situation, the WTA isn't helping much either. It doesn't seem to me that they promote it well. Women's tennis now seems sidelined," Pliskova said.

The 2021 Wimbledon finalist also claimed that fewer people attend WTA games now. She reminisced about a time when she was playing well and the big names were active, recalling a higher overall level of interest and engagement in the game.

“Not as many people go to it as before. When I was playing well and these big names were still active, the level of everything around the game was higher,” she said.