Martina Navratilova said yesterday that she believes world number one Serena Williams still has a chance to beat Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24 grand slam singles titles.

Williams will start favourite to clinch her third French Open title at Roland Garros in the coming weeks — a feat which would take her within four more wins of Court’s record.

Navratilova herself stands joint fifth on the list of all-time champions with 18 having been surpassed by Williams after her Australian Open triumph in January.

And Navratilova believes if anyone is going to beat Court’s record in the foreseeable future it is probably the 33-year-old Williams — despite her chances receding with each passing year.

Speaking to The Tennis Podcast, Navratilova said: “Serena is amazing and she will get to 20 slams for sure.

“She put her career into another gear three years ago after that loss to Virginie Razzano at the French Open. She really focused herself on the sport.

“She realised that her time was running out and that if she wanted to make her mark on the sport she had better get going, and she has barely lost any matches since then.

“It remains to be seen how deep she can go into the 20s, depending on how her body holds up and on motivation. Even if she gets to 22, passing Margaret Court is still a long way away.”