Serena Williams admitted she was "terrible at goodbyes" as the triple National Bank Open champion waved an emotional goodbye to the Toronto crowd just 24 hours after announcing her impending retirement.
The tennis icon lost 6-2 6-4 to Belinda Bencic in the second round in the Toronto tournament, her first defeat since she announced her career is coming to an end. On Tuesday, Williams took to social media to suggest she was set to retire from tennis following the US Open later this month.
A tearful Williams spoke to the Canadian crowd after her defeat to Bencic, and said: “It was a lot of emotions obviously. I love playing here, I’ve always loved playing here. I wish I could have played better but Belinda played so well today. It’s been an interesting 24 hours.
“As I said in the article, I’m terrible at goodbyes. But, goodbye Toronto.”
In the September issue of Vogue, Williams wrote she was ‘evolving away from tennis’ to focus on the more personal aspects of life. She added: “Anyway, this is what it is. I was really happy to be out here today and play in front of you guys, thanks for the support.”
The 23-time Grand Slam champion wiped away tears as she gestured to the adoring crowd, who roared their support back. The touching presentation concluded with a gift to her from both the Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL) and Toronto Raptors (NBA) franchises.
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Williams has committed to playing at the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati next week, as well as the US Open later this month. It appears the Flushing Meadows Grand Slam - which was spectacularly won by Emma Raducanu 12 months ago - will be the final outing of the American’s legendary career.
Elsewhere, Jack Draper stunned Stefanos Tsitsipas to secure his first victory over a top 10 player while he also became the third Brit to qualify for the third round of the National Bank Open. The 20-year-old admirably battled back from a break down in the second set to win 7-5 7-6 (7-4).
Meanwhile, British No. 1 Cameron Norrie will take on hometown star Felix Auger-Aliassime after he defeated Botic van de Zandschulp in straight sets. Dan Evans shocked eighth-ranked Andrey Rublev to reach the tournament’s last 16 for the first time.
The 2022 US Open main draw begins on Monday August 29 and runs for two weeks in New York.
