Martina Navratilova believes Serena Williams is a Grand Slam contender in the coming weeks, but not at Roland Garros.

The Hall of Famer suggests Williams, who has played just four Tour-level match since winning her 23rd Grand Slam title at the 2017 Australian Open, will be challenged to shake the rust on the red clay of Roland Garros, which requires more patient point construction.

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"Her game doesn't pay off on clay nearly as much as it does on other surfaces,” Navratilova told the media in a Tennis Channel conference call on Tuesday to promote the network's Roland Garros coverage, which begin this week with qualifying play. "You can't just blast through people, you have to work the points, hit a lot of shots. Clay makes it more difficult when you are rusty to succeed.



Navratilova believes three-time French Open champion Williams, who took maternity leave after giving birth to daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian on September 1st, can acquire much-needed match play at Roland Garros and emerge as a favorite on the grass of Wimbledon.

The 18-time Grand Slam singles champion says Serena's massive serve and quick-strike capability are more conducive to success on Wimbledon's lawns than Roland Garros' red clay after her maternity leave.

"I'm thinking that Serena is always going to a tournament thinking she can win," Navratilova said. "But realistically speaking, she's maybe thinking more in terms of just getting some matches under her belt, hit a lot of balls so she's ready for Wimbledon. She still is a favorite, for me, to win Wimbledon.”

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