"It's time for Serena Williams to stop tennis because she has a life ahead" - Simona Halep on the American legend's decision to retire soon
Simona Halep is among the many players who have been inspired and taken to the cleaners by Serena Williams on multiple occasions. The American has dominated Halep on the tour and leads the head-to-head 10-2 against her.
On Tuesday, the 23-time Grand Slam champion Williams decided to hang up her racquet after around 27 years of excellence at the highest level. Although it was a difficult decision for the icon, she awaits life after tennis.
In a press conference after defeating Jil Teichmann in the third round and reaching the quarterfinals of the National Bank Open in Toronto, Halep reflected on her rivalry with Williams and the impact the legend has had on the sport.
"Well, it was an honor to play so many matches against her and share the locker room and the court with her," Halep said. "She's always been an inspiration for everybody and for me too. I always said this. I admire her, you know, the power to stay there for so many years, to win so much. She's 40 and she's still fighting for the match. It's unbelievable."
Thank you, @serenawilliams.
Thank you for everything.
Love,
Toronto
#NBO22 https://t.co/Z2cHoVwsXc
The 15th-ranked Romanian believes that no one will ever come close to achieving what Williams has. However, Halep also realizes that the 40-year-old star now has other things to look forward to.
"We're going to miss her, but she has many other important things in life to go through. I think it's time to stop tennis because she has a life ahead. She's done unbelievable things in tennis and is going to be the best of them all, forever. Nobody's going to touch the level that she touched. She was the only one who dominated tennis for a few years in a row. I don't think that's going to happen again," Halep added.
Serena Williams loses in the Canadian Open 2R
Serena Williams entered just her second tournament this year at the Canadian Open after crashing out of the 2022 Wimbledon Championships in the first round in June. In the ongoing WTA 1000s event in Toronto, the American defeated 57th-ranked Nuria Parrizas-Diaz 6-3, 6-4 in her opening match.
Serena Williams gets emotional as fans show their appreciation at the end of her suspected final match in Canada 🥺
(via Some1NamedRyan)
https://t.co/7R0DgDyYVm
However, her campaign for a fourth title in Canada ended in the second round as Switzerland's Belinda Bencic beat her 6-2, 6-4 to level their head-to-head at 2-2. The World No. 12 broke Williams thrice in her straight-sets victory, while the American icon failed to convert the only break point she had against Bencic. Williams' defeat came one day after her big decision to retire.