Tennis legend Martina Navratilova has declared current world No.1 Caroline Wozniacki unworthy of the top ranking and condemned the system that put her there.

“Clearly nobody feels that Wozniacki is a true number one,” Navratilova said.

The winner of 18 grand slam singles titles believes Serena Williams is the best player in the world, but in her absence as a “full-time” player, fellow Czech Petra Kvitova is the rightful women’s No.1.

Navratilova also said the women’s game needed “superstars who can hold their own”, suggesting in a scathing assessment of the Danish player that Wozniacki didn’t fit the bill.

“Wozniacki doesn’t even have that great of a record in her career or the last four years over the top 10 or against the top five,” Navratilova said.

“Whereas Petra you feel really imposes herself on the match and any player.”

Navratilova said the current ranking system was inferior to its predecessor which gave bonus points to players who beat those ranked above them.

Under that system, she said, Kvitova would be No.1 because she had beaten more top players than Wozniacki.

The system now in use “weighs too much on quantity and not enough on quality”, she said.

In defence of Wozniacki, Navratilova said it isn’t her fault that she has the top ranking.

“Caroline doesn’t need to explain why she was number one, it’s the WTA that needs to explain that.”

Wozniacki is into the quarter-finals of the Open, as is Kvitova.

Navratilova also weighed into the issues of male players seeking an increase in grand slam prizemoney and the views of another of the game’s legends on same sex marriage.

The Australian Open has a prize money pool of more than $26 million with the men’s and women’s singles champions each receiving $2.3 million.

But Navratilova believes a case can be made for players to receive more.

She said compared to the profits made by the grand slams, the players are underpaid.

“Compared to what a teacher is making, they are grossly overpaid,” she said.

“Compared to what the slams are grossing or netting, I should say, they are underpaid.”

On the disapproving comments made by Australia’s grand slam champion of the 1960s and ’70s Margaret Court on same sex marriage, Navratilova, who is openly homosexual, was less forthright.

“It’s a personal issue,” she said.

“Clearly Margaret Court’s views that she has expressed on same-sex marriage, same-gender marriage, I think are outdated.

“That’s another issue. I think it goes outside of tennis.”