Former World No. 1 Serena Williams played her last match of the Canadian Open on Wednesday as she was knocked out in the second round by Switzerland's reigning Olympic gold medallist Belinda Bencic. After her farewell interview in Toronto, the American tennis sensation emotionally waved at fans hinting at her possible retirement from the sport.
12th seeded Belinda Bencic defeated the 23-time Grand Slam winner 6-2, 6-4 on Wednesday in the second round of the Canadian Open. The 40-year-old tennis legend had beaten Spaniard Nuria Párrizas Díaz for her first singles victory since the French Open 2021.
Serena, on Tuesday, announced that she is eyeing a retirement from tennis as she looks to move into a different direction saying, "The countdown has begun."
Watch her emotional farewell in Toronto:
In her interview, Serena said, "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."
Serena is expected to compete in Cincinnati next week before travelling to the US Open, which is schedule to begin from August 29. However, the tennis star has not specified the actual date of her retirement.