Nadal praised Williams, calling her a legend and saying it was a shame she was leaving the sport after she had given him so much over the past 25 years. The veteran will enter her 21st and final US Open, deciding to retire from her favorite tournament, where she made her debut in 1998 at the age of 16! Williams has played just nine matches since the start of 2021, reaching two semi-finals in Melbourne last year and failing to repeat. Serena suffered an injury at last year’s Wimbledon and was sidelined for nearly a year. The American surprised everyone when she signed to play in the doubles at Eastbourne in June before embarking on another campaign at Wimbledon. Serena suffered a heavy 7-5, 1-6, 7-6 loss to Harmony Tan in the first round at the All England Club. Williams entered Toronto and faced Nuria Parrizas Diaz in the first match. The American cruised to a 6-3, 6-4 triumph in one hour and 57 minutes for her first win in 430 days! Serena grabbed three breaks and saved seven of eight break opportunities to come out on top.
Rafael Nadal spoke about Serena Williams ahead of the US Open.
Williams faced Belinda Bencic in the second round and lost 6-2, 6-4. In her final match before the US Open, Williams suffered a heavy 6-4, 6-0 loss to Emma Raducanu in just over an hour in Cincinnati.
The youngster built an early lead in the opening set and held it for 6-4. Emma was the only player on court in set number two, bringing one of Serena’s rare bagels and advancing to the second round. Williams will play on Monday night at Arthur Ashe Stadium, hoping for a good run in front of her partisan home crowd in an emotional duel for her. “From a sporting point of view, it’s a shame that Serena is retiring. On the other hand, she deserves to enjoy everything she’s achieved. Serena has worked hard for a long time, with determination, dedication and discipline. I hope she stays around tennis somehow way, that would be good for tennis. Serena is a legend,” said Rafael Nadal.
