Since her impending retirement announcement, Serena Williams lost in the second round at the Canadian Open, followed by a first-round exit at the Cincinnati Open and she crashed out of the third round at the US Open 2022. In her home Grand Slam event, Serena lost to Ajla Tomljanovic 5-7, 7(7)-6(4), 1-6. Despite her defeat, Serena was applauded by fans and experts with former rival Maria Sharapova also joining the bandwagon.
Speaking on ESPN, the former tennis world no. 1 revealed that she urged Serena to make a comeback last year and also stated that the American was 'much better' than the current generation of players. Williams suffered a leg injury during Wimbledon last year and made her comeback in the 2022 edition, where she lost in the first round.
Also Read | US Open 2022: Carlos Alcaraz equals spectacular Rafael Nadal feat
"We spoke about it at the Met last year during this time of year and I said no disrespect to this generation but you are so much better and you need to go out there, so I’m glad that she had a chance here", she said.
Meanwhile, the 23-time Grand Slam winner revealed after her defeat that she was seeking a post-tennis life. "It takes a lot of work to get here. Clearly I'm still capable. It takes a lot more than that. I'm ready to, like, be a mom, explore a different version of Serena."
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, the 23-time Grand Slam winner revealed after her defeat that she was seeking a post-tennis life. "It takes a lot of work to get here. Clearly I'm still capable. It takes a lot more than that. I'm ready to, like, be a mom, explore a different version of Serena."
{{/usCountry}}"Technically in the world I'm still super young, so I want to have a little bit of a life while I'm still walking."
When questioned about her retirement, she said, "I'm not thinking about that. I always did love Australia, though," hinting at next year's Australian Open.