City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan has cited legendary tennis players Serena Williams and Steffi Graf as two female athletes who have inspired him in his life.

In celebration of International Women’s Day 2022, the German international was in conversation with Olympic swimmer Yusra Mardini to discuss female role models in sport.

Widely considered as two of the greatest female tennis players of all time, Graf and Williams combined for an incredible 45 major singles titles across their illustrious careers.

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And Gundogan has explained the impact that both athletes have had on him in terms of both his upbringing and every day life.

“Someone like Steffi Graf. I was quite young back then, but I still remember seeing her on TV winning all these tournaments,” the midfielder explains.

“At a young age for someone like me, that was very inspirational.

“Serena Williams is also a very powerful character and has done so much good for the world in general.”

The City midfielder also learned more about the incredible life of Mardini, who was forced to flee her home country of Syria as a 17-year-old due to the country’s civil war.

A United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Goodwill ambassador, she went on to compete at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, carrying the IOC Refugee Olympic team’s flag during the opening ceremony.

She said, “In general, there are so many women that I look up to.

“I think we can both say that sport helps people all around the world to find a meaning and a home.

“As a refugee it helped me a lot to give back to a community and to feel at home again.”