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Karolina Pliskova thinks the current group of today's top WTA players "has something to offer" but they don't have an impact on the game as much as Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova did. Pliskova, 31, has been on the WTA Tour for a decade and a half, having turned pro in 2009.
When Pliskova was just starting, Williams and Sharapova were the face of women's tennis. Today, both Williams and Sharapova are retired and women's tennis is now led by some new faces - Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff and Elena Rybakina.
Pliskova, a former world No 1, believes there was a bigger interest in the women's game earlier in her career.
Pliskova: Williams, Sharapova had charisma, were huge personalities
“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. And 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. 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," Pliskova told iSport.
Sharapova, a former five-time Grand Slam champion, retired from pro tennis after the 2020 Australian Open. During her career, Sharapova was one of the most marketable athletes and she knows well the importance of good marketing.
At this year's US Open, 19-year-old Gauff won the US Open. In mid-October, Sharapova hit out at the WTA, suggesting that they should do a better job of promoting their stars and that they could have done much more to promote Gauff's US Open win.