Martina Navratilova: 'If anyone can overcome stress of farewell tournament to win, it is Serena Williams'

New York: Serena Williams announced earlier this month she would be bidding adieu to the sport this season . The 23-time Grand Slam winner made the declaration in a Vogue article without revealing which would be her last tournament but every tournament since has been an emotional ride.

Williams’ short farewell tour, which included two stops - in Toronto and Cincinnati - has been more bitter than sweet. In Canada, she lost 2-6, 4-6 to Belinda Bencic in the Round of 32 and 4-6, 0-6 to Emma Raducanu in the Round of 62 in Ohio.

Even though it wasn’t entirely clear, tennis great Martina Navratilova believes Williams’ swansong will come at the US Open - the venue where she won her first major in 1999.

Navratilova was not surprised to see the emotional impact it was taking on Williams but urged her to say goodbye even in the face of defeat.

“It’s hard. When I retired in ‘93 I told the press it was my last year which was a mistake because every single tournament was a freaking tear-jerker,” she is quoted as saying by news agency Reuters.

“Serena did it her way, which was announcing in a very glamorous way on Vogue magazine, but then she is not accepting the losses, she is not accepting what comes with it which is saying goodbye,” added Navratilova.

Navratilova, who won 18 majors, believes US Open is unlikely to provide the fairytale ending that many expect for Williams.

“Emotions can only carry you so far, I don’t see a Cinderella happy ending where she wins the tournament,” said Navratilova. “The way she has looked it doesn’t look like she is going to make a miraculous comeback and win the tournament.

“And with the stress of knowing this is likely your last tournament it doesn’t help.

“But if anyone can overcome it would be Serena.”

If this were a movie script, Williams would take her Grand Slam tally to the elusive 24 and go level with Australian Margaret Court in the list of all-time winners.

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