“Now in women’s tennis there are no players that arouse the same interest as the Williams sisters” – Nadezhda Petrova

Currently, there are no figures in women’s tennis who would be as interesting to watch as sisters Serena and Venus Williams, says Nadezhda Petrova, bronze medalist of the 2012 Olympic Games.

Serena Williams, the winner of 23 Grand Slam singles tournaments, was defeated by Australian Ayla Tomljanovic in September in the third round of the US Open. Earlier, the 40-year-old athlete announced that this tournament would probably be the last in her career. 42-year-old Venus Williams, five-time Wimbledon champion, lost to Belgian Alison van Uytvank in the first round of the US Open.

– You defeated Serena three times in your career – more often than Maria Sharapova. Did she discuss her defeats with you?

– As a rule, such things are not practiced in tennis. But we once had an interesting, very tense match – in 2009 in Beijing, in the evening session. We spent more than three hours on the court, fought to the end. As a result, I won in three sets, while in the last game I won on a tie-break.

Usually, tennis players gather in the warm-up room after matches – some on the track, some on the bike, everyone pedals so that the next day the muscles are not so clogged. And there are sometimes discussing matches. After that meeting, no one but her and me was no longer on the courts. I sit, pedal, talk to the coach. She comes in, stands in the doorway, hands on hips, looks at me and says: “Petrova, why do you always play so well against me?” And I answer her slang: “Sister, do not be offended, it happens.”

I’ve never really had a fear of playing with her. Many were afraid to go against Williams on the court and gave up in advance, but I was interested – I wanted to give my all, to show what I was capable of. I took the matches with her as a challenge. I knew that she was very powerful – crazy serve, crazy punches. But Serena did not like to move. It is quite large, and in motion it could be replayed – you just need to keep the ball as long as possible and deliver it to the other side as much as possible. That’s probably what always helped me against her.

She is a very kind person – friendly, one might even say, caring. It’s off the court, of course. During the match she is a real professional.

– A lot of people are upset because of Serena’s departure also because they believe that today in women’s tennis there are no personalities left, as the Williams sisters once were. Do you share this point of view?

– Yes, of course, they were bright figures, they changed all the time, it was interesting to follow them not only on the court, but also outside it. They have done a lot of useful things for women’s tennis, and at the moment, indeed, there are no girls on the tour who would arouse similar interest.

Women’s tennis has become not very stable. Although now the Polish Iga Swiatek has taken the lead roles, this season, of course, she spent brilliantly.

– Which of the tennis players are you personally interested in following today?

– Probably, for Elena Rybakina, who declared herself at Wimbledon: she attracted attention last season as well. Then, American Coco Gauff, young, tall, sharp, powerful. Naturally, I follow the Russian tennis players, and those with whom I still played, ”Petrova said in an interview with RT.

In her opinion, the first racket of Russia Daria Kasatkina lacks stability in the game.

– Maybe this is due to the fact that Dasha is too happy about the victory, relaxes and approaches psychologically unprepared for the next match. Or, perhaps, he thinks: “I will play the same tennis, and everything will repeat itself,” but this does not happen, and disappointment sets in. On the other hand, we must pay tribute to Kasatkina, she always returns after failures and sometimes no one can stop her. It is a pity that these periods are not as long as her fans would like, – said Petrova.

• “Our paths have always been so similar. I’ve always admired you.” – Serena Williams on Federer