A while back I created a list of D.C.'s six biggest pro athletes, judged on a combination of fame, fan favoritism and widespread familiarity. My top three were Arenas, Portis and Ovechkin.

I can't say for certain without putting more thought into it, but at the very least there's a fourth name that now needs to enter that competition. At some point today, the new Washington Kastles of World Team Tennis will announce that Serena Williams is joining the franchise for its debut season. Now, the super celebrity "marquee" players usually don't play in every WTT match, depending on their tour responsibilities. Still, Serena will represent a D.C. pro sports franchise at least a few times, and she thus qualifies for this list.

And most recent results are completely irrelevant; in one of my key tests--would the athlete cause a stir by simply strolling down K Street at 1 o'clock on a Tuesday afternoon--Serena blows the field out of the water. Kastles owner Mark Ein is scheduled to appear on Comcast SportsNet's Washington Post Live this afternoon; hopefully Russ Thaler will ask him where Serena ranks. I think she's second, behind only Gilbert.

By Dan Steinberg  |  February 19, 2008; 3:35 PM ET
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