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Tennis legend Serena Williams has offered wisdom to Caitlin Clark on handling her meteoric rise to stardom. She is all too familiar with this stardom, dating back to when she and her sister Venus exploded onto the tennis scene in the 1990s.
But it didn't stop there.
Williams's appreciation for Clark was fully expressed as one of Time Magazine's 100 most influential people of 2025, per Sean Gregory of Time Magazine.
In a featured interview, Williams marvels at Clark's “maturity”.
“I felt like she’s always herself, she stayed out of it, just muted the noise,” says Williams. “She has this maturity that I didn’t have.” Clark did have the benefit of being in college when she attracted the national spotlight, while Williams started playing on tour at age 14. But Clark, at just 23, has already learned to tune out distractions like the latest online outrage, something Williams got better at later in her career. “I felt like she was, like me, purposely staying away,” says Williams. “I respect that. Kudos to her.”
The other athletes recognized by Time Magazine included Simone Biles, Jalen Hurts, Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier, and Léon Marchand.
Williams's latest praise of Clark can be characterized as a passing of the torch.
Serena Williams and Caitlin Clark are transcendent talents
There are a select number of athletes who have achieved things far beyond the confines of their respective sport. Thus, they become larger than life and bring in bigger audiences.
The names include Babe Ruth, Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan, Tom Brady, Michael Phelps, and Tiger Woods.
Serena Williams has done that with tennis. Her explosive style and fashion sense along with 23 Grand Slam titles brought in a whole new contingent of tennis fans.
Clark is following in Williams' footsteps, spurring on a women's basketball renaissance. Her trademark logo threes and humility has ushered in a new wave of fans along with record viewership and attention.
Williams's praise for Clark dates back to last year. During her opening speech at the ESPY Awards, Williams jokingly compared Clark to NBA legend Larry Bird.
“You are the Larry Bird in that you are an amazing player, you have ties to Indiana, and white people are really crazy about you,” she said.
Williams and Clark shared a moment together at the NFL Annual Meeting in March. They participated in a panel hosted by former NFL quarterback Eli Manning.
