'She gave us a path to follow' - Leylah Fernandez and Bianca Andreescu hail retiring Serena Williams

Leylah Fernandez says Serena Williams gave her a «path to follow» as she added to the tributes pouring in for the retiring American legend. In a first-person essay for Vogue on Tuesday, Williams announced her decision to «evolve away» from the sport that she has played professionally and with such distinction since 1995, racking up an Open-era record 23 major titles. Ad At 19, and like fellow players Emma Raducanu and Coco Gauff — who also hailed Williams' influence on their careers — Fernandez is one of the younger generation who grew up watching Williams dominate women's tennis.

Tennis‘She changed tennis’ – Raducanu on ‘inspirational’ Williams9 HOURS AGO And last year's US Open runner-up revealed her hopes that Williams remains involved in the sport in some capacity, given the 40-year-old's continuing ability to act as a role model for those on the tour. “It's very sad news," Fernandez said ahead of her second-round match against Beatriz Haddad Maia at the Canadian Open. «She's an icon, she's a legend.

The sport needs her. She's done incredible things for not only tennis but also for women. ‘She changed tennis’ – Raducanu on ‘inspirational’ Williams ‘The reason I play’ – Gauff hails ‘GOAT of GOATs’ Williams for leaving lasting legacy »She gave us a path to follow.

I know that she's making a decision for herself and we've just got to trust that she's going to do the right things. «I'm sure that hopefully maybe she can come back to the sport and hopefully help us help the younger generations. »I'm sure she's just going to be a great, great role model, even away from tennis." Bianca Andreescu delivered one of the biggest shocks in tennis history when beating Williams as a 19-year-old to win the 2019 US Open, which was to