‘It’s Time to Stop Tennis’- Simona Halep Says Serena Williams Has Other Priorities in Her Life

Serena Williams, throughout her career, has grown accustomed to watching her name adorn the headlines. Over the years, she has been in the news for her extravagant on-court performances. However, recently the tennis sensation made the headlines by announcing her retirement from tennis after the US Open.

Ever since the announcement, the entire tennis community has been coming forward to give their opinions. Adding on to it is Serena’s arch-rival in recent years, Simona Halep. Currently in Toronto for the Canadian Open, the Romanian star spoke about Serena, asserting that she now has other priorities in life.

Simona Halep gives her opinion on Serena Williams

Hoping to avenge her second-round loss at the Citi Open, Halep made a strong comeback at the Canadian Open. Following her third-round win over Switzerland’s Jil Teichmann, the former World No. 1 headed to the post-match press conference. During the press conference, she opened up about the retirement news of Serena Williams. 

“We’re going to miss her, but I think she has many other things, important things in life to go through,” she started. “So, I think it’s time to stop tennis because she has a life ahead…,” she further added.

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Over the past two decades, Serena has positioned herself as the flag bearer of women’s tennis. Being a former World No. 1 with 23 Grand Slam titles and an Olympic gold, Serena is rightly mentioned in the elite list of the greatest players of all time. Halep thinks no different. Going ahead, Halep further spoke about the legacy of Williams.

She said, “…she’s (Serena Williams) done unbelievable things in tennis and is going to be the best for all, like forever, I think. Nobody’s going to touch the level that she touched.”

The epic rivalry of Serena and Halep

In her illustrious career, Serena has had numerous classic rivalries. One of which was against Simona Halep. Going back in time, the rivalry of the two dates back to the second round of the 2011 Wimbledon, where the two first faced each other. Moving ahead, Serena and Halep steadily emerged as two of the most prominent players on the tour.

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With numerous meetings and memories in their bags, the two last faced each other in the quarterfinals of the 2021 Australian Open. Similar to almost all her rivalries, Serena also dominates the head-to-head race against Halep. The two have played a total of 12 times in their careers so far, with Serena leading 10-2.