"Caitlin Clark's probably the GOAT" - Jessica Pegula, Emma Navarro & Maria Sakkari share their admiration for American college basketball star

Women's tennis players Jessica Pegula, Maria Sakkari, and Emma Navarro recently expressed their admiration for rising basketball star Caitlin Clark.

Clark is an American women's college basketball player who plays for the Iowa Hawkeyes. She is the NCAA Division I's (the highest level of intercollegiate athletics) all-time leading scorer and is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in college basketball history. Clark has risen in popularity exponentially and is widely credited for bringing attention to women's basketball

Tennis Channel recently posted a video on X (formerly Twitter) featuring popular women's tennis players Pegula, Sakkari, and Navarro in awe of the 22-year-old. All three expressed their admiration for Clark in the video.

Pegula compared Clark to Danielle Collins in that both players expressed their personalities on the court. The American also called Clark the greatest of all time as she set the bar higher every time she played.

"She is pretty unbelievable. Yeah. Seems to be breaking records all the time, every time I look on social. Caitlin Clark’s competitive spirit maybe… I might say, just throw this out there, because she just won a tournament, but Danielle Collins," the 30-year-old said.

"Because it’s basketball, I feel like they show a lot more of their personality on the court, and I think Danielle does an amazing job of that. She’s kinda just setting the bar higher and higher. So, yeah, probably the G.O.A.T."

Sakkari explained that the American's never-give-up attitude reminds her of herself:

"The way she… She plays basketball is just too good. She doesn’t give up. She wants to be the best. That reminds me a little bit of myself."

Navarro meanwhile, described Clark as a "beast":

"If I could describe Caitlin Clark in one word, it would be a beast."

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Jessica Pegula, Maria Sakkari, and Emma Navarro won their opening matches at the Charleston Open

Jessica Pegula

The trio entered the 2024 Charlestone Open with a seeding which gave them a bye in the first round. Jessica Pegula, the top seed, came back from a set down to see off compatriot Amanda Anisimova in her opening match. She will face Magda Linette in the next round.

Third seed Maria Sakkari defeated Viktoriya Tomova emphatically in straight sets to get up and running. The Greek will face Astra Sharma in her next match.

Emma Navarro also opened her tournament strongly with a comfortable straight-set win over Katie Voleynets to set up a third-round clash with Jacqueline Cristian.