Those focused on watching Serena Williams on her street to retirement can have alternatives to accomplish that in a minimum of three tournaments.
“I don’t know if I will be ready to win New York,” Williams stated in a Vogue cover story asserting her retirement, referring to the U.S. Open. “But I’m going to try. And the lead-up tournaments will be fun.”
Her subsequent match is ready for Wednesday within the spherical of 32 of the National Bank Open in Toronto towards Belinda Bencic, a Swiss participant ranked twelfth who defeated Tereza Martincova on Tuesday. Williams can be scheduled for an evening match, the event stated on its website. Bencic, 25, final confronted Williams on the 2017 Australian Open.
National Bank Open matches are televised by its official broadcasters Sportsnet and TVA Sports. In the United States, the Tennis Channel is broadcasting the Canadian event, and some matches can be found on Bally Sports.
After the National Bank Open, which ends on Sunday, Williams is predicted to play in Mason, Ohio, a Cincinnati suburb, on the Western & Southern Open, which runs Aug. 13-21. The event stated on Twitter that it was “honored to be a small part of” Williams’s profession.
“We’re so excited to watch her at our tournament this year,” the event stated.
Williams is predicted to play exterior Cincinnati with a protected rating that has but to be decided. The event, which has tickets available on-line, is ready to function a variety of formidable gamers, together with Iga Swiatek, the No. 1-ranked participant on the ladies’s tour, and Emma Raducanu, the reigning U.S. Open champion.
After the Western & Southern Open, there are two extra tournaments earlier than the U.S. Open — Tennis in the Land in Cleveland and the National Bank Championships in Granby, Quebec. Player lists for the tournaments, which run concurrently Aug. 21-27, haven’t but been launched, and it was unclear whether or not Williams will play in both.
The U.S. Open, the final Grand Slam event of the yr, begins Aug. 29 and runs by way of Sept. 11. The event can be televised by ESPN, and has tickets available online. The ladies’s last is scheduled for Sept. 10.
While the U.S. Open draw has not been set, the primary probability for followers to see Williams could be throughout the first spherical of the event on Aug. 29 or 30, a match that may almost definitely be performed inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.
“I’m not looking for some ceremonial, final on-court moment,” Williams informed Vogue. “I’m terrible at goodbyes, the world’s worst. But please know that I am more grateful for you than I can ever express in words. You have carried me to so many wins and so many trophies. I’m going to miss that version of me, that girl who played tennis. And I’m going to miss you.”
Williams was obscure about her plans after the U.S. Open, and didn’t pinpoint precisely when she would wind down her time within the sport.
