Serena Williams and Caroline Wozniacki
The ASB Classic is set to get underway in the new year, and two of its biggest names will be on court together for the first time.
Tournament director Karl Budge announced that American Serena Williams and Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki will team up as a doubles partnership for the women’s tournament, which kicks off on January 6 at the newly revamped ASB Tennis Centre in Auckland.
Budge made the announcement at Ōrākei marae, where the tournament organisers were presented with a kākahu that will go to the winner of the women’s tournament.
“It’s pretty cool that the ASB Classic will be the first place that will see Serena and Caroline play together. It’s the only time Serena’s played doubles with anyone other than her sister and it just goes to show the bond we’ve been able to form over the last few years” Budge told Te Ao.
“It’s amazing for tennis fans and sports fans in New Zealand that they’re going to get a couple of chances to see two of the greatest sportspeople on the planet.”
Budge said that the global appeal that Williams brings with her cannot be underestimated.
“You’re looking at around 38 million viewers of her matches in the US alone [every time she plays]. Her record is the greatest we’ve seen in the Open era. You still get shivers down your spine when you realise she’s coming.”
It is Williams’ second visit to Auckland, after she played in the 2017 edition. Her sister Venus returned last year and made the quarterfinals. In terms of her outstandingly dominant career, a win in Auckland would add to 13 Grand Slam singles and 14 doubles titles. She has won almost $200 million in career prize money and is regarded as one of the greatest athletes in history.
Wozniacki, meanwhile, is a former world number one herself. She won the Australian Open last year and has announced she will retire after the 2020 tournament in January.