Serena Williams Played Her Last Match In Toronto & She Got Custom Raptors & Leafs Jerseys
Serena Williams just played her final ever match in Canada at the National Bank Open in Toronto yesterday, and it was a roller coaster ride of emotions.
On Wednesday night, in her first game since announcing her impending retirement from tennis, Williams went up against Belinda Bencic and lost 6-2, 6-4 in the match, ending her rounds at the Toronto-based competition.
In a post-game interview with Sportsnet's Carly Agro, Williams spoke about her love for the 6ix and her recent announcement that she is retiring so she can focus more on her family.
"It's been a pretty interesting 24 hours," Williams said after she expressed that she wished she had done better in her match against Bencic but that the Swiss tennis player had played well.
"It's just been so memorable, you know. Like I said in my [Vogue] article, I'm terrible at goodbyes but, uh... Goodbye, Toronto!" Williams said as she started to tear up.
The crowd burst into applause, and some fans waved posters in the stands to show their love for Williams.
\u201cThis isn\u2019t a good bye it\u2019s a see you later! Incredibly proud of @serenawilliams and what a privilege to watch her in Toronto. Cannot wait for the the final chapter in New York! See you all soon again @alexisohanian @EricHechtman @jsmoll @kantor_leah @Rgk092190\u201d— Bence (@Bence) 1660183495
Even though Williams won't be playing another tennis match in the 6ix, she shared that she would still come back to the city to come to visit.
Well, to make sure that Williams always felt welcome in the city, the Toronto Raptors and the Toronto Maple Leafs gifted her custom-made jerseys — including ones for her 4-year-old daughter, Olympia Ohanian.
On the back of Williams' jersey was the number 22, to commemorate the year of her final match at the open, while Olympia's sported the number 5, "So when she celebrates her birthday, she can do it in Toronto style," Agro explained.
"Thank you, thank you so much. Toronto has great sports, so I'm excited about that," Williams said.
"I don't celebrate birthdays, as you all know, [and] neither does Olympia, but thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. It's been a joy playing in front of you guys all these years, so thank you."
Williams, who is a practising Jehovah's Witness, has been vocal in the past about the fact that she and her family don't celebrate birthdays. According to JW.org, Jehovah's Witnesses don't celebrate birthdays because they are believed to have "pagan roots."
Even though Williams is done with tennis in Canada, she is expected to play next at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, which starts this weekend on August 13.
Serena Williams at Medieval Times.