Serena Williams left the court in tears following her loss in Toronto this week and it had nothing to do with the defeat. On Wednesday in a letter penned for Vogue, Williams announced her retirement after a 25+ year career.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion played Belinda Bencic on Wednesday and was defeated 6-2, 6-4 in straight sets. The emotions were raw as Williams stood in front of a thundering crowd. Fans held up signs sharing sentiments like, “Thank you, Serena” and “We Will Miss You” and based on her reaction following the match, she will miss everything about the tennis world, as well.
“As I said in the article, I’m terrible at goodbyes. But goodbye, Toronto,” she said in a post-match interview.
“It was a lot of emotions, obviously,” Williams told the crowd, speaking about the match. 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.”
With Wednesday’s announcement, every last moment on the court will be a special one for Williams which became apparent in Toronto. She is expected to play at the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati starting on Saturday and the U.S. Open in New York which begins August 29.
Williams won her first singles match in 430 days with a victory over Nuria Parrizas-Diaz of Spain on Monday in the first round, but could not get the job done on Wednesday. In true form, she gave credit where credit was due and applauded Bencic for her efforts.
Following her announcement, ticket sales went through the roof and now the same is expected for Cincinnati and New York. Karl Hale has been the tournament director at the National Bank Open since 2006 and had never experienced a surge in sales like they did on Wednesday.
“We heard it yesterday morning, and immediately ticket sales picked up,” Hale said. “In the players’ lounge, you heard the chatter. It’s the first time I’ve seen so many players watch a practice. She practiced at 9 a.m., and everybody was out there watching her.”
That being said, it’s safe to say that as Williams rides the wave into retirement, all eyes will be on her as she prepares for her final matches of her storied career.
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