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.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion secured her first singles win since last year’s French Open, surviving a hard-fought first-round encounter with Nuria Parrizas Diaz to take a 6-3 6-4 win in Toronto.
On a muggy, overcast day at the Canadian Open, the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion Williams, was made to work hard against the battling Spaniard, never quite finding her true best despite redolent glimpses of her power serve and forehand.
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.
Afterwards, Williams suggested that she was “getting closer to the light of freedom.”
“I guess there’s just a light at the end of the tunnel,” Williams chuckled. “I don’t know, I’m getting closer to the light, so ….
“Lately that’s been it for me. I can’t wait to get to that light.”
“Freedom,” she said when asked what that light represented. “I love playing though, so it’s like amazing.
“But, you know, I can’t do this forever. So it’s just like sometimes you just want to try your best to enjoy the moments and do the best that you can.” – Eurosport
