“I’m terrible at goodbyes": Serena Williams tearful after last ever match in Canada
Serena Williams has lost her last match ever on Canadian soil.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion lost 6-2 6-4 to No. 12 seed Belinda Bencic at the National Bank Open in Toronto on Wednesday night, just two days after Williams announced she plans on retiring from tennis.
An emotional @serenawilliams waves goodbye 👋 to the Toronto crowd. 😥#NBO22 pic.twitter.com/0e0fAx9bk8
— National Bank Open (@NBOtoronto) August 11, 2022
“I love playing here, I’ve always loved playing here,” Williams said in her post-match interview, according to the event’s website.
“I’m terrible at goodbyes. Goodbye Toronto, but I’ll be coming back as a visitor.”
The 40-year-old Williams received a standing ovation on court, and was presented with jerseys of the Toronto Raptors and Toronto Maple Leafs for her and daughter Olympia following the match.
Williams announced her planned retirement in a letter penned for Vogue.
She will put away her racket after the US Open, scheduled to start Tuesday, August 23 and running through Sunday, September 11.
Farewell to the 🐐, 🇺🇸Serena Williams.
Toronto loves you!#NBO22 pic.twitter.com/6YqEue2ErT
— Match Point Canada (@MatchPointCAN) August 11, 2022
“I’ve been reluctant to admit that I have to move on from playing tennis,” Williams wrote. “It’s like a taboo topic. It comes up, and I start to cry. I think the only person I’ve really gone there with is my therapist.
“I feel a great deal of pain. It’s the hardest thing that I could ever imagine. I hate it. I hate that I have to be at this crossroads. I keep saying to myself, I wish it could be easy for me, but it’s not. I’m torn: I don’t want it to be over, but at the same time I’m ready for what’s next.”
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Williams first burst onto the tennis scene 27 years ago at the Bell Challenge in Quebec in 1995, when she was just 14 years old. She won her first Grand Slam title at the 1999 US Open at age 17.
She sits behind just Margaret Court with 23 Grand Slam singles titles.
Her life was immortalized in the 2021 movie King Richard, documenting her relationship with her titular father as well as older sister Venus.
“My whole life, up to now, has been tennis,” she added. “My dad says I first picked up a racket when I was three, but I think it was even earlier. There’s a picture of Venus pushing me in a stroller on a tennis court, and I couldn’t have been more than 18 months. Unlike Venus, who’s always been stoic and classy, I’ve never been one to contain my emotions.”
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