Samantha Stosur tells the Courier-Mail that Serena Williams is still the best player in the game, even though she's ranked third in the WTA rankings. Williams, No. 9 Stosur, No. 2 Maria Sharapova, and No. 1 Victoria Azarenka will all be playing in the Brisbane International, which begins next week.

“I think it’s very hard going against (Serena) as No. 1 at the moment,” Stosur said. “Obviously she is not No. 1 on paper, but I think having won two Grand Slams, the Olympics and the end of year Championships I think that pretty much qualifies you as being in that spot. The rankings work how they work, but if you don’t play all the time that’s why it’s hard to get there. I think she is probably setting the benchmark at the moment, but I think everyone plays their style and the way they want to play.”