“One of the most important athletes in the history of the sport!” Rafael Nadal pays the ultimate tribute to Serena Williams ahead of her farewell tournament at the US Open
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Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams
Tennis icon Serena Williams announced a few weeks ago that she’ll be retiring from the sport after the US Open. The news came as a surprise and shock to fans all around the world given that she has been playing for more than 2 decades. She is regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time and is credited for revolutionizing the women’s game.
Not only fans, but her retirement news has also saddened fellow tennis players too. In the pre-tournament press conference at the US Open, 22-time grand slam champion Rafael Nadal spoke about Serena and lauded her career. He called her a huge ambassador of the sport and termed her as one of the most important athletes in the history of sports, not just tennis.
“I spoke plenty of times about Serena, how important she was, or she is, for our sport. Huge ambassador who break records. I think her as an athlete have been not just a tennis player, have been one of the most important athletes in the history of the sport. So from the tennis perspective, it’s a big loss that she is leaving,” Nadal said.
‘I hope she will continue being involved in the world of tennis’: Rafael Nadal on Serena Williams
He further said that Serena deserved every bit of her success as she has been very persistent over the years and has put in a lot of determination, dedication, and discipline in her craft.
“But on the other hand, she deserved all the things that she achieved because she worked enough to make that happen for such a long time, with a lot of determination, dedication, and discipline. If not, all of this is impossible. So now is the moment that she deserves to choose whatever she wants to do,” he said.
Nadal then hoped that Serena would be associated with the sport even after she retires because she’s a legend and her being involved in the tennis world will be good for the sport.
“Yeah, I just believe and hope that if she is able to stay around the sport in some way, going to be great for our sport because I always believe that the sports are bigger when the legends of our sport are around the sport, no? And she’s a legend. In some way, I hope she will continue being involved in the world of tennis,” he added.
Also Read: Pam Shriver elated to see Serena Williams draw “out of form” Danka Kovinic in the US Open 1st round
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Lakshya Chopra
(2595 Articles Published)