Serena Williams: ‘I would have had 30’ Slams if I didn’t have to play Venus (and she would've had at least 15)

Ekaterina Makarova, an Australian Open singles semifinalist in 2015 and a two-time doubles finalist at the tournament, announced her retirement just last month.

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A post shared by Ekaterina Makarova (@katemakarova1)

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The Russian’s success in Melbourne is only a small part of the story for one of the WTA Tour’s most versatile players of the past decade. Over the course of her career, Makarova reached the Top 10 in singles—peaking at No. 8 in 2015—and the No. 1 spot in the doubles rankings.

Teaming up with countrywoman Elena Vesnina, the duo won a Gold Medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and closed that season with the title at the WTA Finals. They also won three of the four Grand Slams—only missing out at the Australian Open—with their most recent major victory coming at Wimbledon in 2017. There, the two made one of the most emphatic statements in a Grand Slam final in the history of the game as they defeated Hao-Ching Chan and Monica Niculescu 6-0, 6-0.

The moment Elena Vesnina and Ekaterina Makarova claimed their first ladies' doubles title at #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/V6KbFIOKoD
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 15, 2017

In singles, Makarova topped many of the recent greats: Venus Williams, Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka, to name a few. She won three singles titles out of five finals, with her last one coming in Washington as she rallied to beat Julia Goerges in three sets.

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Singles, doubles—the category hardly mattered. Makarova did more than enough in both disciplines to have made an impact on the women’s game.

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