Laura Robson has hailed Serena Williams as the "greatest of all time" following the announcement of her retirement.
The 23-time grand slam winner confirmed on Tuesday she would be retiring from the court ahead of the US Open, which is now widely expected to be her final appearance at a major tournament.
Williams, who also boasts 14 doubles victories in grand slam events alongside her sister Venus, bid an emotional farewell to Toronto after her second-round defeat at the Canada Open on Wednesday.
The countdown is now on for the US Open, with fans holding the knowledge that every round could be her final farewell, and Robson believes the retirement decision will not have surprised many.
"It's difficult, because you know that it's coming. And I think everyone has been waiting for this announcement over the last few years," she told Stats Perform.
"But it's still very sad that it's finally here. You know, she has been such a great champion for decades now.
"And I looked up to her growing up, I've got so many memories, watching Serena on TV, I've got my own memories from playing her as well, which is cool.
"I'm just looking forward to being at the US Open, to seeing the atmosphere of her last few matches. And hopefully she goes on a bit of a run, that would just be electric."
Robson believes Williams is comfortably the greatest of all time in the women's game and added there is a strong argument she is the greatest overall in the sport.
"I think on the women's side, there's no doubt for me that Serena is the greatest of all time. You know, to win as many matches and titles and slams and Olympic medals as she has over the last couple of decades," she stated.
"Doing it all while having a child, going through life-threatening illnesses that she had after giving birth. So many injuries as well. So for me, yeah, on the women's side, definitely greatest of all time.
"There's an argument to be made for greatest in tennis in general, but everyone's got their own opinions on that. And yeah, that's an entirely different debate, because it's really, who you're a fan of the most that that comes down to."
Robson, who announced her own retirement in May, also identified with the tough decision Williams has had to make but feels she has played for "as long as possible".
"It sounds like from the Vogue article that she really doesn't want to retire, she's still struggling to come to terms with it," she added.
"But for me, I found as soon as I said it out loud and said it to the world it does make it a lot easier to wrap your head around.
"So, for Serena you know, she's devastated to be stopping I'm sure she would love to keep playing by the sounds of it. She played it as long as possible until her body gave out but she's got other priorities in her life now.
"It's about finding that balance, but it definitely sounds like she's devastated to step away from tennis."
Play Your Way to Wimbledon, Powered by Vodafone is the largest individual mass participation tennis competition in the UK - delivered by Vodafone in partnership with the LTA and The All England Lawn Tennis Club.
Djokovic misses out on Geneva Open final after shock Machac defeat
Tomas Machac upset Novak Djokovic as he captured the biggest win of his career to deny the Serbian a place in the Geneva Open final.
Machac reached his first ATP Tour final with a 6-4, 0-6, 6-1 victory on Friday following a hard-fought contest.
Djokovic had control of the first set, storming into a 4-1 lead, but Machac rallied to take the opening set.
After receiving a medical time-out before the second set, Djokovic superbly won the second set without dropping a single game but faded in the decider.
Djokovic won the opener in the third, but Machac came from behind to seal the win in two hours and seven minutes. He will face Casper Ruud or Flavio Cobolli in the final on Sunday.
Data Debrief: Final still out of Djokovic's reach
Despite making a strong start to the Geneva Open, fitness problems seem to have caught up with Djokovic ahead of the French Open later this month.
He lost his second career match despite having won a set with a 6-0 scoreline (after Sam Querrey in the Paris Masters in 2012), and has failed to make a final in 2024.
Djokovic overcomes Griekspoor to reach Geneva Open semi-finals
Novak Djokovic beat Tallon Griekspoor in straight sets in the Geneva Open quarter-finals on Thursday, teeing up a last-four meeting with Tomas Machac.
Djokovic was pushed all the way in an intriguing opener, Griekspoor generating three set points only to fail to convert any of them.
The world number one immediately punished Griekspoor's wastefulness by breaking at the end of a back-and-forth service game, then proceeded to serve the first set out in comfort.
Griekspoor would not get a second chance to make a contest of it as Djokovic took full advantage of an early break in the second set, serving at 81 per cent and winning 92 per cent of points behind his first serve from there as he cruised to a 7-5 6-1 win.
Data Debrief: Age just a number for Djokovic
Having turned 37 on Wednesday, Djokovic is the oldest semi-finalist in Geneva Open history.
Now 14-5 for the year, he is the strong favourite to claim his first title of 2024. Flavio Cobolli will face Sebastian Baez or Casper Ruud in the other semi-final.
Nadal to begin French Open campaign against Zverev
Rafael Nadal will begin his French Open campaign against fourth seed Alexander Zverev, as the 14-time champion approaches what will likely be his final tournament at Roland-Garros.
Nadal has repeatedly said he plans to call time on his glittering career at the end of 2024, having struggled with hip and abdominal injuries in recent years.
His 14 titles in the French capital are four more than any other man has won at a specific major, with Novak Djokovic triumphing 10 times at the Australian Open.
The Spaniard, who has missed the last four majors, arrived at Roland-Garros on Monday and faces a tough opening assignment.
He will face world number four Zverev – who won the Italian Open last week – for a place in the second round, where David Goffin or Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard awaits.
Nadal faced Zverev en route to his last grand slam triumph at the 2022 French Open, the German being forced to retire due to an ankle injury over three hours into a gruelling semi-final matchup.
Novak Djokovic starts his title defence against Pierre-Hugues Herbert, as he looks to fend off competition from Jannik Sinner for top spot in the ATP Rankings.
Australian Open winner Sinner will face Christopher Eubanks first up, while third seed Carlos Alcaraz begins against a qualifier.
Like Nadal, Andy Murray is likely featuring at the French Open for the final time, and he has been drawn to face 2015 champion Stan Wawrinka in a huge first-round encounter.
In the women's draw, Iga Swiatek starts her bid for a third straight French Open crown against either a qualifier or a lucky loser, with Naomi Osaka a potential second-round opponent if the former world number one can overcome Italy’s Lucia Bronzetti.
Coco Gauff is on the same side of the draw as Swiatek, while second seed Arnya Sabalenka begins against Erika Andreeva in the other half, with Elena Rybakina her forecasted semi-final opponent.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
