Wayne Rooney says why he thinks Serena Williams is greater than Novak Djokovic

Football legend Wayne Rooney has named his top five greatest sports stars ever, and tennis icon Serena Williams has made the cut.

Williams retired from professional tennis in 2022, having won 23 Grand Slam titles during her glittering career.

The American legend clinched 73 WTA titles overall, as well as reaching number one in the world rankings, with her career earnings falling just short of $95million.

Her phenomenal efforts certainly caught the eye of Rooney, who has just named Williams as his fourth greatest sports star of all time.

Wayne Rooney ranks Serena Williams above Novak Djokovic

Speaking on The Wayne Rooney Show, the ex-Manchester United and England player said: “I really like tennis. I love watching tennis.

“I can’t play, but really enjoy watching it, and I’ve been fortunate enough to go to Wimbledon a couple of times. I was there when Andy Murray won it for the first time.

“But I just think Serena Williams is really inspiring. I think especially to women as well. I really like to watch the documentary she’s done.

“The fact that she’s breastfeeding before she’s gone out to play in the matches, and the culture and all the barriers she and Venus [Williams] had to break down, and to get to where they got to as well, it was really inspiring.

“And what she’s achieved, 23 major titles she’s won, and to go on for so long as well. Normally tennis, I know they all are now, but in tennis it used to be like mid to late 20s they finished, but all going on for so long.

“I think it’s that competitiveness of siblings as well. When Venus was doing well, that drives you, you want to be better than your sister, and she went on to be better.

“Both of them had crazy careers, but for me what Serena has done has inspired a lot of people.

“Listen, I could have put [Roger] Federer, [Novak] Djokovic, Pete Sampras. There are so many top tennis players, but for me, what Serena has done I think is incredible.”

Serena Williams labelled an “inspiration” by Wayne Rooney

Remarkably, Williams could make an extraordinary return to tennis, but such a comeback hasn’t been confirmed.

She has teased a return, which is something her sister Venus did last summer after a 16-month break from the WTA Tour.

Along with her phenomenal doubles success with Serena, which comprises 14 Grand Slam titles, Venus boasts seven singles titles.

But it was Serena who inspired Rooney most, with the football icon adding: “I’m being honest, she was the reason I watched women’s tennis.

“Because I’d watched the men’s tennis and then she was the reason I started watching women’s tennis as well, that’s the truth of it.

“And so I think that is inspiring itself, and I’m sure that’s the same for many people.

“That mindset has to be different, same for golf as well, any individual sport it’s the same.

“It’s that dedication, that motivation to keep doing it, when you’ve been at the top for so long, to continue to be there.

“I think what she’s done for tennis and culturally she’s an inspiration.”

Aged 44, Williams has been focusing on her business endeavours in recent years, but tennis fans would undoubtedly love to see her return to the court.

She finds herself ahead of NFL legend Tom Brady and basketball hero Michael Jordan in Rooney’s greatest of all time list, with the pair ranked in joint-fifth.

He picked boxer Mike Tyson in third, golfer Tiger Woods in second, and snooker player Ronnie O’Sullivan in first.

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