"Tennis square opened up to Serena Williams in ways your boyfriend could never" - Andrea Petkovic rejects idea that power made American the 'GOAT'

Serena Williams troubled many an opponent with her effortless power during her active years. That said, it was not the brute force of her racket that made the American a legend, according to fellow former top-10 Andrea Petkovic.

The German, who has forayed into commentating since hanging up her racket a couple of years ago, recently penned a blog post detailing her most fearsome match-ups. And unsurprisingly, Williams featured on the list.

It was, however, Petkovic's analysis of the Williams game that gave a unique insight. The German argued that it wasn't so much the power but her intelligence and tennis IQ that made Williams the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time). Dubbing her a "deranged genius mathematician", Petkovic said Williams would use her groundstrokes to open up the court like no other.

"People assumed the reason she became the female GOAT was because she was more powerful than others. I’m here to tell you: You are wrong. Serena Williams was one of the smartest tennis players I have ever played," Andrea Petkovic wrote. "She controlled the geometry of a tennis court like a deranged genius mathematician."

"She saw spaces we didn’t see. The tennis square opened up to her in ways your boyfriend could never. She used a well-placed angle before she crushed you with power," she added.

The German heaped further praise on Williams, saying she was a great reader of the game and could anticipate her opponent's move before it was even made. That, she said, made her all the more unplayable.

"We were Serena William’s pawns that she positioned as she saw fit. Serena’s superpower was telepathy. She sensed the decisions we were about to make before they plopped up as coherent thoughts in our minds," she added.

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Serena Williams maintained a clean record against Andrea Petkovic

Serena Williams and Andrea Petkovic. (Source: Getty)

Serena Williams maintained a clean 5-0 record against Andrea Petkovic over the course of their career. She dropped only one set in the five meetings.

The first time that the two played was way back in 2010, with the German putting up her strongest challenge against the 23-time Grand Slam champion. She pushed her to three sets, but ultimately lost 6-2, 3-6, 6-0.

Williams went on to reel four other straight sets wins against Petkovic, winning at Brisbane in 2013, Rome in 2014, Stanford in 2014, and Toronto in 2015. Notably, both Williams and Petkovic called time on their career at the US Open 2022.