Canadian Open 2022: 'I'm getting closer to the light' - Serena Williams hints at retirement after first win of year

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. Ad On a muggy, overcast day at the Canadian Open., 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.

TennisFederer at 41: Will he play the US Open? When will he play next?2 HOURS AGO 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.” The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion had lost her only singles match of the year so far, beaten by Harmony Tan at Wimbledon in late June, but she appeared to quickly shake off any rust. Williams, playing on a hard court competitively for the first time since the 2021 Australian Open, began strongly with a confident hold, and broke her Spanish