"Having Serena retire was almost like a part of me being gone" - Lisa Raymond on Serena Williams' emotional farewell at US Open
Serena Williams' recent retirement from tennis affected many fans and tennis players alike, among whom was her fellow American Lisa Raymond. In a recent interview, the American tennis great commented that Williams was a big part of her career and that it was not easy to see her bid farewell to the sport.
The former doubles world No. 1 played against Serena Williams across formats, including mixed doubles. Raymond highlighted that Williams was present on tour throughout the duration of her career, suggesting that they spent a lot of time with each other or when facing each other during their careers.
Speaking during a recent episode of The Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast, Raymond opened up about the feeling of seeing Williams retire, expressing that she got very emotional during the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion's final match at the 2022 US Open. Raymond also lauded the American's "unreal" contribution to tennis.
"She was on tour the entire time I was playing," Lisa Raymond said. "I played against Serena in singles, doubles, mixed. I was on Fed Cup teams with her, she was on a Fed Cup team I was coaching. Having Serena retire, it was almost like a part of me was being gone. She was such a part of my tennis career in so many ways."
"What she's done for tennis and women in sports, it's just unreal. I certainly shed plenty of tears watching that last match and watching her play in that (US) Open," Raymond added.
While the 11-time Grand Slam doubles champion was sad to see Williams play her last few matches, she enjoyed seeing her good friend Rennae Stubbs as part of Williams' coaching team and support staff in the build-up to the US Open.
"It was cool to see my buddy Rennae Stubbs guiding her and being there both as coach and confidante, and friend, during those last 10 days or so. That was cool to watch as well," Raymond added.
"She got a little fitter those last few weeks" - Lisa Raymond on Serena Williams
Lisa Raymond feels Serena Williams showed a good level of tennis at the US Open and opined that the 41-year-old seemed a lot fitter than she was at the Cincinnati Open, which was just a couple of weeks before the New York Major. Raymond reiterated her sadness at seeing Williams play her final few matches, which was also thrilling for many reasons.
"She did (play well). She got a little fitter those last few weeks when she played. Such a difference from the girl that played in Cincinnati to the one that played in the Open. It was just so thrilling to watch those few matches and for a million different reasons. Again, it was a very happy event but a very sad event."
"It was someone who was there my entire career and in so many different facets. So yeah, it was sad, really sad," Raymond further expressed.
While Serena Williams' 2022 US Open campaign ended with a loss to Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round, she defeated then World No. 2 Anett Kontaveit in the second round. Since the US Open, Williams has been spending time with family and has also been busy promoting her firm Serena Ventures.