Serena Williams lost her first match after telling the world she was ready to leave professional tennis. .
Nobody knows exactly how many more Williams will play. The 23-time Grand Slam champion won Wednesday night at the National She Banks Open, where she lost 6-2, 6-4, to Belinda Bencic.
"Of course there was a lot of emotion," Williams said, his voice quivering during the on-court interview.
She turned to fans Told. "Belinda played very well today." The countdown began "done the day after the announcement" that she said she wanted to have another child and pursue business interests. Although he didn't mention it, it sounded like a final goodbye at the U.S. Open, which starts in New York on August 29.
"It's been a very interesting 24 hours for her," Williams said after Wednesday's game.
"I'm not good at saying goodbye," she said, putting her hand on her chest. "But goodbye, Toronto!" Williams, his three-time champion of the Canadian city, started the match with an ace. In the second half of that opening game, she provided another serve, showing off a great serve that led her to so many wins. She had only played three times in the last 12 months due to a foot injury that kept her out of the season.
It didn't help Williams to play against a very talented opponent who was 15 years younger than her. Bencic, ranked 12th in the world, won gold with Switzerland at last year's Tokyo Olympics and won a Grand Slam tournament. She is a Slam semi-finalist.
Bencic took home the Toronto trophy in 2015 at the age of 18. She defeated Williams in the semi-finals to earn the honor of being the youngest woman to beat a player many consider to be her. A handmade poster on her stand was declared Wednesday. , “GOAT” — the best ever.
- Sports
- Toronto
- US Open
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- Serena Williams
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