11-time Grand Slam doubles champion Lisa Raymond has described how devastated she was after Serena Williams officially retired from professional tennis.
Williams was the most dominant player in the women's game for over 20 years. She attracted many new fans to the sport and had epic rivalries with her sister Venus Williams, Justine Henin, and many others.
The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion bid farewell to tennis after losing in the third round of the US Open to Ajla Tomljanovic. Many on Arthur Ashe Stadium were in tears during the 41-year-old's goodbye.
However, Williams has refused to rule out returning someday. The tennis legend only returned from 12 months out injured during the grass court season and almost certainly would have improved further had she played more matches.
That means her level might still have been there, keeping the door open for a return in the future. Having said that, Williams has spoken about wanting to grow her family and become more involved as an investor, something she started in recent years.
During her career, Raymond won six women's doubles and five mixed doubles Grand Slams. She was also a solid singles player, progressing to the Australian Open and Wimbledon quarterfinals and reaching No. 15 in the world.
Williams was on the WTA Tour throughout Raymond's career, and the Americans competed with and against each other several times. That meant she was very emotional when the tennis legend retired.
"She was on tour the entire time I was playing. I played against Serena in singles, doubles, mixed. I was on Fed Cup teams with her, she was on a Fed Cup team I was coaching. Having Serena retire, it was almost like a part of me was being gone. She was such a part of my tennis career in so many ways."
"What she's done for tennis and women in sports, it's just unreal. I certainly shed plenty of tears watching that last match and watching her play in that (US) Open,"