Serena Willams breaks down at last Canadian Open appearance as daughter cheers from stands

23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams took the entire tennis world by surprise on Wednesday after announcing that she is prepared to bid goodbye to the sport. A day after her article in Vogue Magazine, 40-year-old Williams started her farewell tour with a defeat in the Round of 32 in the ongoing National Bank Open in Canada. The defeat marked the last appearance for in the Canadian Open for the American player, as she received an overwhelming farewell from the organizers.

A teary-eyed Williams revealed her thoughts and said, “It’s been a pretty interesting 24 hours. I’m terrible at goodbyes. but goodbye, Toronto!”. As she made her way into the court for the second-round match against Belinda Bencic, Serena was greeted with a standing ovation by the spectators. Few of the audience members were seen capturing the moment on their phones, while others were seen holding hand drawn signs with messages saying, “Queen”, “Thank you”, and “We will miss you”.

Watch Serena Williams saying goodbye to Toronto:

Serena Williams prepares for the US Open 2022

It is pertinent to mention that Williams hasn’t announced when she will goodbye to the sport but it is understood that the US Open 2022, which begins on August 29 will mark her final farewell. Williams is a six-time US Open Grand Slam champion, as she won her first title in 1999 and the latest one in 2014. She has won the Wimbledon Championship and Australian Open seven times each while winning three titles at the French Open. 

She will now compete in the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati starting next week, which also serves as a preparation for the final grand slam tournament of the year. Coming back to the Round of 32 matches in the Canadian Open, Williams suffered a straight-set loss against Bencic by 6-2, 6-4. As per AP, speaking about the match, Williams said she could have played better and credited Belinda for the epic show.

Serena Williams heaps praise on Belinda Bencic

“I wish I could have played better but Belinda played so well today. It’s always an honour to be on the court with her and that’s why I think tonight is about her,” Serena said. Belinda is currently ranked 12 in the WTA rankings and is 15 years younger than Serena. The Swiss national player won the coveted gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics 2020 for her country and was a Grand Slam semifinalist.