The game’s best player is back on top. It took a while for Serena Williams to overtake Dinara Safina. But the 28 year-old American who won two grand slams (Australian, Wimbledon) this year finally is No.1 on the WTA Tour again after a straight sets second round win over Ekaterina Makarova, 6-3, 6-2 at the China Open Tuesday.

“I won two grand slams, and I should have got more. But you know what, I’m just excited to have those two, which is great,” a pleased Williams said of becoming the No.1 ranked player for the fourth time in her career.

“I just played consistent for all the year. I felt like especially the beginning of the year I did well. I was bothered a little bit by injury but I kept fighting.

“I kept showing up and doing the best I could do. Sometimes there were unfortunate losses, but I really tried. And I think at end of the day that’s what matters.”

That effort has been rewarded with her replacing the struggling Safina who suffered two more excruciating early defeats in Tokyo and China following a disappointing third round exit at the U.S. Open last month. While the 23 year-old Russian had a good season making her first two slam finals that included a rout in which she got only three games against Williams down under, it ended bad enough that her inconsistent play cost her the top spot.

As for Serena, perhaps getting away from home was for the best following a controversial Open semifinal exit to Kim Clijsters in which she lost it completely, cursing out a lineswoman who called a footfault. The outrage from the incident portrayed the 11-time slam champ in a negative light with questions still being asked after her and big sis Venus took the doubles crown at Flushing.

Many experts including CBS/ESPN analyst Mary Carillo felt she should’nt even have been allowed to play and deserved a suspension. Our only beef with Serena is that she didn’t say sorry, instead issuing a statement of apology. That’s not the same as saying the two words, “I’m sorry,” which would’ve been better received.

At least she’s gotten away from the heated topic by getting back to tennis. Something she does quite well as her 45-11 record says after two wins in China with a better third round test coming versus Russian Nadia Petrova. She’ll still be favored to advance and come out of a bracket that lost resurgent Maria Sharapova, who won at Pan Pacific last week over Jelena Jankovic when the Serb was forced to quit. If she comes through, Serena might see Svetlana Kuznetsova, who qualified for the season ending championship. The 2009 French Open winner will play the hot Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who ousted Serena’s older sis a second straight week.

As for Williams being back on top, the Palm Beach Gardens, Florida resident seems more at ease.

“I definitely feel better,” she expressed. “I’d be lying if I sat here and said I didn’t.

“But I just feel like I would say the ranking will come, you know, I’m not focus on being number one. And I would rather have won the titles that I have won this year, as opposed to have the ranking.

“But fortunately now, for next week at least, I have it.”