After defeating Serena Williams 6-4, 6-0 in what is likely to be their last meeting, Emma Raducanu praised the American as “the best of all time,” but the American quickly left the court and didn’t stay to hear her.
The day after announcing her retirement, Williams, 40, lost in straight sets to Belinda Bencic in Canada last week. However, she lingered on the court for a rare loser’s interview.
She quickly left this particular event, despite Cincinnati organisers having champagne ready for an on-court celebration.
She also declined to go to the subsequent news conference.
The interviewer heard Raducanu, 19, say, “I believe we all need to simply honour Serena and her fantastic career.” I’m really appreciative of the opportunity to portray her and the fact that our careers coincided.
Everything she has accomplished is incredibly inspiring, and it was a genuine honour to share the court with her, according to the speaker.
Who knows how many more chances we’ll get to share the court with the greatest of all time, but tonight was a match in my view since I got to play him.
In defeating Williams, Raducanu committed only one unforced mistake. She now plans to carry that energy into her next match against Victoria Azarenka, another seasoned WTA Tour player.
Raducanu, who has suffered with blisters on her hands, said: “I think it’s vital to really embrace the victories, because I believe that if anything, this year has taught me that the wins don’t come by lightly.
“Any victory, regardless of kind, means a lot to an athlete, and I’m going to soak it in and be incredibly pleased of myself,” I said.
“It is a rapid rotation tomorrow, and I probably have 12 hours till I’m back on site,” Raducanu said. It will undoubtedly be challenging since I’m facing up against another Grand Slam winner. I’m just going to do my best to get ready.
In only her fourth match of the year, Williams struggled to maintain consistency, making just 11 winners in the first round of the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati while committing 12 unforced mistakes.
The 10th-seeded British player, however, found her stride quickly and broke the 23-time major winner twice in the first set before tearing apart in the second to clinch her 12th victory of the year.
In the first round, former world number one Azarenka of Belarus defeated Kaia Kanepi.
Regarding the next match, Raducanu said: “I recall more recently when I was preparing for my exams, she was playing in the US Open and reached the final in 2020 during the bubble.
I hadn’t played tennis in maybe two or three months, and I was sort of daydreaming about playing on Ashe (Arthur Ashe Stadium at Flushing Meadows) and facing these great players one day. Everything seemed so far.