Is Serena Williams the fittest tennis player in the world?
The American magazine Sports Illustrated has chosen the fittest 25 women in world sports. There is only one tennis player on this list: Serena Williams .
by Jens Huiber
last edit: Feb 09, 2020, 09:07 pm
Comparing apples to pears is not only fun for sports fans - but obviously also for some journalists. Sports Illustrated, probably the best-known sports magazine in the USA, is currently presenting a list of the 25 fittest athletes. And he interviewed a few experts who judged the women and men according to the following criteria: Performance during the past twelve months. Challenges and risks of the respective sport. Endurance. Type of training and some other thresholds such as strength, speed, strength, flexibility and more.
A look at the 25 athletes suggests that such a comparison is a senseless undertaking: Marathon runner Brigid Kosgei (24th place) and UFC fighter Amanda Nunes (2nd place), the performance of legendary swimmer Katie Ledecky (5th place) ) compared to that of the equally legendary skier Mikaela Shiffrin (4th place). Well, well: with Simone Biles, a gymnast tops the list. In fact, almost all of the criteria in demand have been sufficiently taken into account.
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Serena Williams with the tournament victory in Auckland
By the way, the only tennis player on the list is Serena Williams. And that seems somewhat surprising: after all, Serena has only won one tournament over the past twelve months - in Auckland earlier this year. It can be assumed that the assessment of the athletes was long over. In addition, the now 38-year-old has given herself an almost half-year break after the US Open, almost traditionally.
In Serena's favor, her competitiveness is cited in old age. And the fact that even after the difficult birth of her daughter, she can once again play at the top of the world. At the moment Williams is in eighth place in the WTA world rankings, in that of Sports Illustrated she appears four ranks behind. But whether she really is the fittest tennis player remains a matter of opinion. On the other hand: In view of the flood of tasks at the WTA Finals in Shenzhen, some good arguments for Serena could be found.
Incidentally, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic made it into the top 25 for men. The Serb even ranked second behind basketball star Giannis Antetokounmpo.