Serena Williams

2022 - 8 - 8

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True Grit: Serena Williams Scores First Win of Year in Toronto ... (Tennis Now)

Serena Williams subdued Nuria Parrizas Diaz 6-3, 6-4 to score her first singles win in a year-and-a-half at the National Bank Open in Toronto. Photo credit ...

"I just wanted to be out here today," Williams said. Williams wiped it away as the struggled stretched to its eighth deuce. Williams whipped a wide serve winner to erase it. Williams wiped away another break point slamming a forehand that skidded off the baseline sliding underneath Parrizas Diaz's forehand. The Spaniard was smacking her two-handed backhand crosscourt with sharp angle and when Williams was pushed into the corner to defend it, Parrizas Diaz sometimes drove her backhand down the line for clean winners. Credit Parrizas Diaz, who was hitting her groundstrokes bigger than the former No. 1 at that point, for continuing to press. That sweaty struggle only made the American more determined. Staring down break point at 1-2 in the second set, Serena summoned the warrior within. That ferocious stand seemed to strengthen Williams, who was bending over at the waist sucking in deep gulps of air midway through the set. Still, Williams delivered some of her most assertive tennis on pivotal points. Twenty-two years after her tournament debut, the 41-year-old superstar showed signs of inactivity-induced rust. "Mentally I feel I'm getting there.

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Serena Williams advances to second round in Toronto in straight sets (ESPN)

Serena Williams moved into the Toronto Open second round with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Spain's Nuria Parrizas Diaz on Monday.

"I've been very aggressive and I played fast so that's my goal and I am trying to do that every day." "Physically I feel much better in practice, it's just like getting that to the court. "Mentally I feel I'm getting there.

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Serena Williams wins first match in over a year (KTVH)

Williams, 40, beat world No. 57 Nuria Parrizas Diaz in the first round of the National Bank Open in Canada.

She was recovering from an injury suffered at the grand slam tournament in 2021. Serena is not the only Williams at the National Bank Open. Venus Williams, 42, is also scheduled to play at the event. She returned to action at Wimbledon after a year away from the tour.

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Serena Williams at National Bank Open: TV schedule, scores ... (Sporting News)

Here's everything you need to know about Serena Williams' appearance at the National Bank Open, including TV schedule, scores and results from Williams' ...

Williams sits just below Margaret Court for most Grand Slam majors won during a career, man or woman. Williams picked up her first title in 1999 and most recently won in 2014. But before she takes part in next month's US Open, Williams is getting in some tune-up matches.

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Serena Williams Earns First Singles Win In More Than A Year As ... (Forbes)

Serena Williams won her first singles match since Roland Garros in 2021 as she tries to gear up for a potential run at the U.S. Open starting later this ...

“If she can get two or three matches a couple weeks in a row going into the U.S. Open, then she’s got a shot to actually win some matches. Next week she is also scheduled to play the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, an event she won in 2014 and ‘15. I was just out here doing my best today.” “I just wanted to be out here today,” Williams said on court. After a year off the singles court, Williams, the 23-time major champion, returned at Wimbledon last month but lost in the first round to Harmony Tan, 7-5, 1-6, 7-6 (7). Serena Williams won her first singles match since Roland Garros in 2021 as she tries to gear up for a potential run at the U.S. Open starting later this month.

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Forty-year-old Serena Williams secures her first win in 430 days (MARCA.com)

She's won 23 Grand Slams and is one of the greatest players of all time, but Serena Williams passed another important milestone recently winning her first ...

The win marks another significant milestone - her first win since her split with coach Patrick Mouratoglou. The Frenchman parted ways with Williams following her decision not to compete in this year's French Open and he now trains former world No.1 Simona Halep. She's won 23 Grand Slams and is one of the greatest players of all time, but Serena Williams passed another important milestone recently winning her first game in over a year.

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The Ardent and The Elegant: What Serena Williams and Roger ... (Tennis Magazine)

Their polar-opposite personalities and playing styles show that there's no single way to succeed in this solo game.

But those of us who play also know that beneath the surface politeness, tennis is a war, one in which your job isn’t to play elegantly, but to vanquish your opponent. Watching Federer in full flight, seeing him rise up on his right toe like a ballet dancer and sweep through the long arc of his one-handed backhand, is to see that freedom in action. “It is as if he plans for being in the moment, which is something I think all of us can learn from him. He really overcame something that was in him, and he got rid of it and he got the steel focus. If Serena brought a new audience to U.S. tennis, Federer brought in new and old fans wherever he went. According to Christopher Clarey, author of The Master: the Brilliant Career of Roger Federer, Federer’s longevity can be attributed to his knowledge of himself. Federer was so blazingly dominant in the mid-2000s—he won 11 of the 16 majors held between 2004 and 2007—that many fans still consider his two younger rivals, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, to be usurpers of his rightful throne. He played the game the way so many thought it should be played.” For a time, Federer had all the makings of an underachiever. Federer didn’t hit the hardest serve, but few have bailed themselves out with that shot as reliably as he has. “With her standing, and her empire, she’s created a counter-voice and a new perspective,” Bryant says. That diversity has extended to those who watch the game.

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Is Serena Williams playing in US Open? Latest news, updates on ... (Sporting News)

Williams didn't play a match between her injury retirement in the first round at Wimbledon in 2021 and her return to the same tournament this summer, which ...

However, she hasn't officially indicated whether she will take the court for the 2022 US Open just yet. Maybe that's just what Williams needs to propel herself ahead of the storied competition, one she has claimed six times. Her path back to Flushing Meadows begins in Toronto at the National Bank Open, where she is in the singles draw this week.

Serena Williams earns first win of season in Toronto (Tennis Magazine)

Serena Williams earned her first win in more than a year by beating Nuria Parrizas-Diaz 6-3, 6-4 at the women's National Bank Open.

It's just the second tournament of the season for the 40-year-old Williams, who returned to competition at Wimbledon just over a month ago. Before then, she last competed at the 2021 Wimbledon tournament, where she retired in the middle of her first match due to a torn hamstring suffered after slipping on the grass surface. The 23-time Grand Slam champion fell in the first round to Harmony Tan in three sets at the All England Club.

Serena Williams makes triumphant return to hardcourts (News24)

Serena Williams stepped onto a hardcourt for the first time in a year and a half on Monday and fought through for a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Spain's Nuria ...

Halep, ranked 15th, handed Vekic a 10th defeat in her last 11 matches against a top-20 opponent. The Croat last defeated a member of the ranking elite at the Olympics last summer when she put out No. 3 Aryna Sabalenka. Serena Williams stepped onto a hardcourt for the first time in a year and a half on Monday and fought through for a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Spain's Nuria Parrizas Diaz.

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Canadian Open 2022: Serena Williams secures first win of year ... (Eurosport.com)

Serena Williams secured her first win of 2022 with a hard-fought victory over Nuria Parrizas-Diaz at the Canadian Open in Toronto.

"I was really happy to be able to come out here again. “I don’t know, I’m getting closer to the light, so .... "But, you know, I can’t do this forever. "Lately that's been it for me. It appeared that Parrizas Diaz might force a decider at several points in the second set, but a vital hold in what proved to be the penultimate game of the match ensured Williams' place in the second round. Serena Williams suggested that she may be moving closer to retirement, teasing that there is "light at the end of the tunnel" after winning her first match in 430 days.

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Is Serena Williams playing in US Open? Latest news, updates on status for 2022 tennis grand slam (Sporting News AU)

Her path back to Flushing Meadows begins in Toronto at the National Bank Open, where she is in the singles draw this week. It's the perfect setting for a US Open tune-up. Maybe that's just what Williams needs to propel herself ahead of the storied ...

However, she hasn't officially indicated whether she will take the court for the 2022 US Open just yet. Maybe that's just what Williams needs to propel herself ahead of the storied competition, one she has claimed six times. Her path back to Flushing Meadows begins in Toronto at the National Bank Open, where she is in the singles draw this week.

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Serena Williams just debuted her summer '22 braids and she looks ... (Yahoo Sports)

Serena Williams got fresh braids for summer 2022. Sharing a picture on Instagram of her new hairstyle, she's sporting a half-up hairdo with a bun.

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Serena Williams survives opening-round challenge in first singles ... (ESPN)

In her first singles win this season, Serena Williams showed the match toughness that was missing at Wimbledon a month ago. She fought for every point in ...

Williams was broken just once in the Monday match, saved seven of eight break points on the day, and notched seven aces -- proving her legendary serve remains a valuable weapon. While it may feel like an eternity ago, Williams reached the semifinals at the Australian Open, her last hardcourt major, in 2021 and remains hungry to make one final push for Grand Slam title No. 24. Williams went on to reach the final that year in Canada, as well as at the US Open weeks later. "I guess there's just a light at the end of the tunnel, I'm getting closer to the light, so lately that's been it for me, can't wait to get to that light," Williams told reporters after the match with a laugh, but insisting she wasn't joking. It's of course impossible to predict how she'll fare the rest of this week and during the hardcourt season, but a victory over a tough opponent is a promising start and should give her a much-needed confidence boost. Parrizas-Diaz found her form and at times it looked all but certain the match would be going the distance. Currently unranked and needing a wild card for entry, Williams proved she still belonged on the sport's biggest stages. Williams, a three-time Canadian Open champion, will next play the winner of Tuesday's Belinda Bencic- Tereza Martincova match and could potentially face Naomi Osaka in the third round. But, you know, you got to think if I were playing matches I wouldn't miss some of those points or this match." During most of Williams' career, a first-round win over a lucky loser ranked No. 57 in the world wouldn't have elicited such emotion from the 23-time major champion. "This being one of my favorite stops on tour, I was really happy to be here again." It had been 14 months since Serena Williams had recorded a singles win.

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Serena: 'I guess there's just a light at the end of the tunnel' (WTA Tennis)

The question of how much longer is not new to Serena Williams. After an opening-round win Monday in Toronto, though, she shed a little light.

“When you’re at that stage of the game -- not that I played into my 40s, but rather my mid-30s -- that it’s a tightrope with your body, right? “It was fall of ’93 and I said, `OK, next year is my last year,’ ” Navratilova said. “Nobody can tell you how you should mourn, just like nobody should tell you how to retire,” she said from her Miami home. Venus’ last match before that was a year ago in Chicago, a straight-sets loss to Hsieh Su-Wei. Her record is 3-10 in the past 19 months. “As an athlete, you cannot accept that as the last match. “They’re trying to stay healthy, play enough matches,” tennis analyst Pam Shriver said. I love the game,” Navratilova said. Particularly, Venus and Serena. I remember them saying they weren’t going to play past 25 or something -- and here they are.” “How did I stay there? “I don’t know, I’m getting closer to the light, so .... Lately that's been it for me. “Freedom,” she said. “I guess there’s just a light at the end of the tunnel,” she said, laughing.

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Serena Williams wins first singles match in over a year (AS English)

Having not felt that winning feeling in singles tennis since the 2021 French Open, Serena Williams finally did so on Monday in Toronto.

Williams returned to action after almost a year away from the game in the WTA event in Eastbourne in June in the women’s doubles, before competing in the singles at Wimbledon, losing to Harmony Tan in an exciting first round contest on Centre Court at SW19. She is competing in the tournament as part of preparations for the US Open, and sealed her first win since splitting with coach Patrick Mouratoglou. She even earned a standing ovation when facing break point in the fourth game of the second set, as she worked hard to stay in the point before smashing a trademark forehand winner to save the game.

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From Serena Williams to Lebron James, here are 10 all-star athletes ... (Yahoo Eurosport UK)

A Sports Illustrated article from 2009 once examined how 78% of former NFL players were declared bankrupt two years after retirement.

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Optimistic Serena emerging from her tennis 'tunnel' (Yahoo Sports)

Serena Williams stepped onto a hardcourt for the first time in a year and a half on Monday and fought through for a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Spain's Nuria ...

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“I forgot what it felt like” – Serena Williams after first win in 14 months (Tennis Majors)

On Monday, Serena Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, won her first-round match at the National Bank Open in Toronto – a 6-3, ...

And I’m so happy that she came out there and so it was good. I was like, Okay, Serena, should I say something like, Take her upstairs to the suite. So it’s just like sometimes you just want to try your best to enjoy the moments and do the best that you can.” I looked over and I saw her in the first middle of the first set and I was like, Oh, my God, why is she here? I can’t wait to get to that light.” So I think that that really helps me.

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Serena Williams edges past Nuria Parrizas Diaz at Canadian Open ... (Daily Express)

Serena Williams has recorded her first singles match win in 430 days after defeating Nuria Parrizas Diaz 6-3 6-4 in the opening round of the National Bank ...

After an hour and 58 minutes, the former world No 1 closed out a 6-3 6-4 victory to mark her first match win in singles since the French Open third-round on June 4 last year, when she defeated compatriot Danielle Collins 6-4 6-4. The pair then found themselves locked in battle in a 25-minute game, which saw Williams save four break points and overcome nine deuces to level at 4-4. The three-time Canadian Open champion won the last three games of the set, breaking at a crucial time to go 5-3 up and serve it out, though not without some difficulty.

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Serena Williams Hints at Retirement From Tennis (Bloomberg)

The 40-year-old defeated world number 57 Nuria Parrizas Diaz 6-3 6-4 at the National Bank Open in Toronto for her first taste of success in singles since the ...

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Serena Williams 'can't wait' to reach light at end of tennis tunnel (Independent Online)

Serena Williams delivered an impressive physical performance in challenging conditions to return to winning ways at the Toronto Open on Monday and then said ...

"It's a good feeling to just have other people feel that way about you. I can't wait to get to that light." "Yeah, so that's like, lately that's been it for me.

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Serena Williams drops major retirement hint after winning first match ... (Daily Express)

SERENA WILLIAMS recorded her first victory in well over a year by beating Nuria Parrizas-Diaz at the National Bank Open in Canada.

We (I think it is safe to assume I'm not the only one) don't like the light talk, Serena. It is scaring us. Sometimes you just want to try your best to enjoy the moments, and do the best that you can.” Serena’s older sister Venus was also in action in Canada but fell to a 6-2, 6-3 defeat to Jil Teichmann of Switzerland. Hinting that the end of her quite remarkable career could well be near, she said post-match: “I guess there's just a light at the end of the tunnel. I can't wait to get to that light.” Speaking after her win on Monday though, it seems her return to the tour may be a short one. Tennis legend Serena Williams has dropped a major retirement hint after winning her first singles match on the WTA Tour in 430 days.

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Is Serena Williams playing in US Open? Latest news, updates on ... (Sporting News)

Williams didn't play a match between her injury retirement in the first round at Wimbledon in 2021 and her return to the same tournament this summer, which ...

However, she hasn't officially indicated whether she will take the court for the 2022 US Open just yet. Maybe that's just what Williams needs to propel herself ahead of the storied competition, one she has claimed six times. Her path back to Flushing Meadows begins in Toronto at the National Bank Open, where she is in the singles draw this week.

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Serena Williams announces she will retire from tennis after glittering ... (The Guardian)

Serena Williams has confirmed she will retire from tennis after a career that has seen her win 23 grand slam singles titles.

This week Williams is competing at the National Bank Open in Toronto, where on Monday she defeated Nuria Parrizas-Diaz 6-3, 6-4 to win her first singles match since June 2021. In her lengthy, emotional essay in Vogue, Williams explained that, after injuring her hamstring at Wimbledon last year and taking a year away from the sport, she was unsure about ever returning. Williams made her singles return at Wimbledon in June, losing in the first round to France’s Harmony Tan. Over the course of a historic career that has spanned nearly three decades since its beginnings on the public courts of Compton, California, Williams has won an Open era record of 23 grand slam singles titles, earning a total of $94,588,910 in prize money and much more in endorsements. Williams has spent much of the past few years off the court preparing for the moment she decided to move on, including by setting up a venture capital company, Serena Ventures, and investing in various organisations. “I have never liked the word retirement,” she wrote.

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Serena Williams: 23-time Grand Slam champion announces ... (Sky Sports)

Serena Williams says she has never liked the word retirement, but that she is evolving away from tennis after winning 23 Grand Slams across her iconic ...

"Maybe she doesn't have the record of 24, but what she's accomplished as well as her back story to achieve what she's achieved. "No question about it, she is the greatest male or female tennis player at the moment. I'm a fan of them and I want to say thank you to them." "Unfortunately I wasn't ready to win Wimbledon this year," she added in the article. "I know there's a fan fantasy that I might have tied Margaret that day in London, then maybe beat her record in New York, and then at the trophy ceremony say, 'See ya!' I get that. You talk about tennis to a black person and it's the Williams sisters, that's just what it is. I looked up to them and I still do. Williams noted that her and her partner Alexis are trying for another child, and that she did not want to be pregnant as an athlete again. "When I tell people in the neighbourhood 'I'm a tennis player' they're like 'oh so you're trying to do that Williams sister thing?'. They're a staple. "Maybe the best word to describe what I'm up to is evolution. "I've been reluctant to admit that I have to move on from playing tennis. I've been thinking of this as a transition but I want to be sensitive about how I use that word, which means something very specific and important to a community of people.

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Serena Williams says she intends to retire from tennis after the U.S. ... (WJCT NEWS)

"I'm turning 41 this month, and something's got to give," Williams told Vogue. She attributed the choice to the competing urges of wanting another child ...

"It's one of 16 unicorns — companies valued at more than $1 billion — that Serena Ventures has funded, along with Tonal, Impossible Foods, Noom, and Esusu, to name a few." But she also spoke about her growing business interests and the inspiration she has drawn from other powerful women, such as Facebook veteran Sheryl Sandberg and Caryn Seidman-Becker, CEO of the security company Clear Secure. When play in the U.S. Open's main draw begins on Aug. 29, Williams will have a protected ranking of No. 16. And then I just kept winning." By calling it a career next month, Williams is in many ways coming full circle. Williams' 23 Grand Slam singles titles is an Open Era record for women or men.

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Serena Williams says 'countdown' to retirement has begun (Eyewitness News)

Williams won the last of her 23 Slams at the 2017 Australian Open when she was already pregnant with daughter, Olympia.

Williams won the last of her 23 Slams at the 2017 Australian Open when she was already pregnant with daughter, Olympia. Williams won the last of her 23 Slams at the 2017 Australian Open when she was already pregnant with daughter, Olympia. PARIS - US tennis great Serena Williams announced on Tuesday that "the countdown has begun" to her retirement from the sport.

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Serena Williams says she intends to retire from tennis after the U.S. ... (NPR)

Williams' 23 Grand Slam singles titles is an Open Era record for women or men. The only tennis athlete with more major singles titles is Australia's Margaret ...

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'Evolving away from tennis': Serena Williams hints at retirement (Aljazeera.com)

The US superstar is one of the most decorated tennis players in history, with 23 singles Grand Slam titles.

If I’m in a Slam final, then yes, I’m thinking about that record. Court won a portion of hers in the amateur era. I want to grow that family.” “Maybe the best word to describe what I’m up to is evolution. “A few years ago, I quietly started Serena Ventures, a venture capital firm. “It doesn’t feel like a modern word to me.

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Serena Williams hints at upcoming retirement: 'The countdown has ... (The Washington Post)

Serena Williams, whose 23 Grand Slam singles tennis titles cement her status as one of the greatest to play any professional sport, hinted in an interview ...

The light, for her, represents “freedom” from one of the great sports careers, one that began when she and her sister Venus were coached by their father, Richard, on the courts of Compton, Calif. “I love playing, though, so it’s amazing, but I can’t do this forever,” she added. I can’t wait to get to that light.” And I’m going to miss you.” Williams was a bit more open about her plans Monday after beating Nuria Parrizas-Diaz, 6-3, 6-4, at the National Bank Open, her first win since the 2021 French Open. “I guess there’s just a light at the end of the tunnel,” she told reporters in Toronto. “I don’t know; I’m getting closer to the light. “It’s the hardest thing that I could ever imagine,” she says. And I almost did do the impossible: A lot of people don’t realize that I was two months pregnant when I won the Australian Open in 2017.

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Serena Williams to retire from tennis after US Open (TimesLIVE)

Serena Williams of the United States serves against Nuria Parrizas Diaz of Spain during the National Bank Open, part of the Hologic WTA Tour, at Sobeys Stadium ...

I want to grow that family.” “Unfortunately I wasn't ready to win Wimbledon this year. If I'm in a Slam final, then yes, I'm thinking about that record. “I'd be lying if I said I didn't want that record. “A few years ago I quietly started Serena Ventures, a venture capital firm. “Maybe the best word to describe what I'm up to is evolution.

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Serena Williams: Six memorable Grand Slam finals (Mail and Guardian)

Serena Williams announced on Tuesday the countdown to her retirement had begun from tennis after a career which brought her 23 Grand Slam singles titles.

To play today knowing she was injured, she’s definitely up there with the real fighters and champions.” She was also the first black woman to win a major since Althea Gibson in 1958. I almost didn’t make it a few years ago. “I can’t even describe it. Venus battled gallantly despite an abdominal injury and hip problem before losing 4-6, 6-4, 6-2. It’s pretty exciting for me,” she said.

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