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National Bank Open to be one of Serena’s final events

TORONTO — Serena Williams’ appearance at the National Bank Open in Toronto will be the final one of her career.

The tennis legend said earlier Tuesday she is planning to retire from tennis sometime following the U.S. Open, which begins later this month.

Williams, who won her opening match at the National Bank Open on Monday, made the announcement in an essay released by Vogue magazine.

“I’m turning 41 this month, and something’s got to give,” wrote Williams.

The announcement has already set off plans to celebrate Williams, along with ticket sales having skyrocketed according to National Bank Open tournament director Karl Hale.

Williams will play her secondround match today.

“Ticket sales have gone through the roof, we’ll be sold out by [6 p.m. ET] today, which doesn’t happen on a Wednesday, typically,” he said. “The media requests have been significant to say the least, everybody wants to see Serena and talk to her. Even the players in the players lounge, everybody’s talking about Serena.”

“[Tonight], we’ll celebrate her for sure.”

In an Instagram post, the 23-time Grand Slam champion says she will “relish these next few weeks.”

“There comes a time in life when we have to decide to move in a different direction. That time is always hard when you love something so much,” the post said. “My goodness do I enjoy tennis. But now, the countdown has begun. I have to focus on being a mom, my spiritual goals and finally discovering a different, but just as exciting Serena.”

Williams said she does not like the word retirement and prefers to think of this stage of her life as “evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me.”

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2022-08-10T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-08-10T07:00:00.0000000Z

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