Petrova: Not all see Azarenka as leader, Serena only comparable to Sharapova

Nadia Petrova has bounced back from losing in the first round of the Australian Open. (Julian Finney/Getty Images) Former No. 3 Nadia Petrova tells Sport
Petrova: Not all see Azarenka as leader, Serena only comparable to Sharapova
Petrova: Not all see Azarenka as leader, Serena only comparable to Sharapova /

Nadia Petrova has bounced back from losing in the first round of the Australian Open. (Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Nadia Petrova

Former No. 3 Nadia Petrova tells Sport Express Russia (translated at Tennis.com) that Serena Williams is a "true leader on tour" and that despite her reign as the No. 1 player for more than a year, Victoria Azarenka wasn't able to earn the same level of respect in the locker room.

“Serena is such an important figure for our sport,” Petrova said. “There really aren’t that many really outstanding personalities in women's tennis. For example, Agnieszka Radwanska is playing well, but still is not the best. Vika Azarenka, admittedly, not all see her as the leader of our tour. [Petra] Kvitova, [Sam] Stosur, [Angelique] Kerber -- great players. But Serena is only comparable to Maria Sharapova.”


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Courtney Nguyen
COURTNEY NGUYEN

Contributor, SI.com Nguyen is a freelance writer for SI.com, providing full coverage of professional tennis both on and off the court. Her content has become a must-read for fans and insiders to stay up-to-date with a sport that rarely rests. She has appeared on radio and TV talk shows all over the world and is one of the co-hosts of No Challenges Remaining, a weekly podcast available on iTunes. Nguyen graduated from the University of California, Irvine in 1999 and received a law degree from the University of California, Davis in 2002. She lives in the Bay Area.