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."
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World number one Swiatek sees off Xiyu in Madrid opener
World number one Iga Swiatek overcame Wang Xiyu with the minimum of fuss on Thursday to progress to the third round of the Madrid Open.
Swiatek has yet to win the title in Madrid, which is the only clay-court European event at which the Pole has not triumphed, but she got off to a flying start with a 6-1 6-4 victory over Xiyu.
"I love this place. I got to know the city a little better last year," Swiatek said. "So this time I feel more comfortable around."
Next up for the 22-year-old is a third-round tie against 27th seed Sorana Cirstea on Saturday.
Data Debrief
Swiatek has registered 150 match wins on the WTA Tour since the start of 2022. Elena Rybakina and Coco Gauff are the next best with 108 wins each.
She also became the first player born this century to claim 50 combined match wins in Madrid, Rome and Roland-Garros, since the inaugural women's singles event at the Madrid Open in 2009.
Dominant Gauff double bagels Rus at Madrid Open
Coco Gauff made a flying start to her Madrid Open campaign on Thursday, recording the first double bagel main-draw win of her career as she cruised past Arantxa Rus to reach the round of 32.
Gauff needed just 51 minutes to see off 33-year-old Rus as she booked a meeting with Ukraine's Dayana Yamstremska for Saturday.
The US Open champion lost just 18 points throughout the match – eight in the opener and 10 in the second set – as she put any doubts over her recent form to bed in emphatic fashion.
Gauff's power proved too much for Rus in the opener, the third seed winning 88 per cent of points behind her first serve and converting three of four break points to go a set up in just 23 minutes.
Rus brought up four break points midway through the second set, but when she failed to convert them, Gauff punished her in ruthless fashion by reeling off another three games then finishing things with a terrific forehand winner.
Speaking after her win, the American said: "I played really well today. It was just one of those days for me… 6-0 6-0, I've never done that before, I'll probably never do it again."
Data Debrief: Gauff matches Azarenka, Halep feat
Gauff is just the third player to register a 6-0 6-0 win in the women's singles draw at the Madrid Open, following in the footsteps of two former world number ones in Victoria Azarenka and Simona Halep.
The American, who only turned 20 last month, is also the youngest player to double bagel an opponent in any main-draw match on the WTA Tour since Iga Swiatek did so against Karolina Pliskova in the 2021 Italian Open final in Rome.
Nadal cruises past teen Blanch to tee up De Minaur rematch in Madrid
Darwin Blanch presented little challenge for Rafael Nadal, who dropped just one game in a convincing 6-1 6-0 triumph at the Madrid Open.
Nadal is feeling his way back to fitness, but 16-year-old qualifier Blanch offered little resistance to the 22-time major champion on Thursday.
Making his farewell appearance at the Madrid Open, where he has won five titles, Nadal needed just 64 minutes to progress to round two.
"I think today I played against an opponent with a great future in front [of him], but today, still making mistakes," said Nadal.
"I just tried to be there, be solid all the time without taking a lot of risks. It worked well. I'm happy to be through and I wish him all the very best for the future."
Nadal's reward is a rematch with Alex de Minaur, who he lost to last week in Barcelona.
Data Debrief
This game saw the largest age gap (21 years, 117 days) between two opponents in the history of ATP Masters 1000 events.
Nadal has now registered 57 wins at the Madrid Open, which is 20 clear of any other player.
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