Serena Williams is, undeniably, the greatest female tennis player of all time.
The countless trophies she won and the boundless legacy she left behind will leave traces in the sport centuries after her 2022 retirement.
And rightly so, given all she achieved.
As such, this current generation of superstars all looked to the American, idolising her dominance and emphatic brand of tennis.
Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff are just two notable names who would attribute their love for the sport to Serena’s brilliance.
With the Canadian Open currently ongoing, it’s therefore worth remembering how the 43-year-old reacted to being informed of her influence on this duo, in what was her last-ever appearance at the event.
What Serena Williams said during her last-ever Canadian Open in 2022
A three-time champion at the event, this was one of many Masters 1000 events that Serena Williams captured on multiple occasions.
And, in another time, she could have had many more, reaching a further two finals and three semi-finals.
As such, she was effusive in her praise for the event, stating back in 2022 after shocking many by announcing she would be playing: “I don’t know. I just love it here. It’s no secret that I’ve had a fabulous time on court and probably even better time off court here in Toronto.
“So it’s a great city and I love being here. I used to visit here all the time, visit my friends, great memories.”
Then asked about Gauff and Swiatek specifically, branded a huge influence on their development, Williams continued: “It’s great to have an impact, I think, in anyone’s life. Because people had an impact in my life. And I know what it felt like to just want to be like that and to be better.
“So that’s, it’s a good feeling to just have other people feel that way about you. And, yeah, and just encourage them to be better. Because that’s what it’s all about, right? It’s about making your mark and then someone else does and does better and that’s kind of how it keeps going.”
Ironically enough, Swiatek was compared to Serena Williams after her Wimbledon title just last month.
Who did Serena Williams beat to win her three Canadian Open titles?
To highlight the incredible longevity of Williams, her very first title at the Canadian Open came back in 2001. Her final then came in 2013, before this final appearance at the event all the way in 2022.
In total, she featured in ten separate iterations of this event, often skipping it, but still succeeding in it whenever she featured.
That maiden title came after she beat Jennifer Capriati, the top seed, in the final. Her next triumph came a whole ten years later, overcoming Victoria Azarenka and Samantha Stosur in the semi-final and final respectively.
Serena had to wait just two years for her third and final title in Canada, beating Sorana Cîrstea in a hugely one-sided 6-2, 6-0 final.
