In the end, there was no smile when the nearly two-hour match was over. Just a look of relief, with arms raised triumphantly.
It had been 14 months since Serena Williams had recorded a singles win. But with the support of the crowd behind her in her first-round match at the Canadian Open on Monday, the 40-year-old returned to the win column with a 6-3, 6-4 triumph over Nuria Parrizas-Diaz that was a much tougher battle than the scoreline might indicate.
“It’s great to be back in Toronto, I didn’t know if I would be able to play here again,” Williams said during her on-court interview after the win. “This being one of my favorite stops on tour, I was really happy to be here again.”
As the interview then ended, she addressed the crowd directly. “Thank you everyone,” she said emphatically. “I love you.”
Another year, another Serena win 🙌
🇺🇸 @serenawilliams comes through a tough test in Toronto to advance to Round 2!#NBO22 pic.twitter.com/PGUY5sX10k
— wta (@WTA) August 8, 2022
During most of Williams’ career, a first-round win over a lucky loser ranked No. 57 in the world wouldn’t have elicited such emotion from the 23-time major champion. But the victories have been harder to come by and the injuries tougher to rebound from — and it’s clear it just means more these days.
“I guess there’s just a light at the end of the tunnel, I’m getting closer to the light, so lately that’s been it for me, can’t wait to get to that light,” Williams told reporters after the match with a laugh, but insisting she wasn’t joking. “I love playing though, it’s amazing but I can’t do this forever so sometimes you just want to try your best to enjoy the moments and do the best that you can.”
The former world No. 1 was sidelined for nearly a year with a torn hamstring, sustained at Wimbledon in 2021, and rumors about her retirement grew louder with each tournament that passed. But such speculation was premature, yet again.
Williams made her eagerly awaited return to competition earlier this summer by playing doubles at Eastbourne with Ons Jabeur. The duo reached the semifinals before withdrawing due to a knee injury for Jabeur. Williams then returned to singles play at Wimbledon, where she lost in a first-round thriller to Harmony Tan, 7-5, 1-6, 7-6 (7). Williams had the Centre Court crowd firmly on her side, and momentum at times, but ultimately the rust prevailed over the flashes of brilliance and, despite a 3-1 edge in the decider and later a 4-0 lead in the deciding…
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