"Every match could be her last" - Andy Roddick on Serena Williams' fate at the US Open

Former World No.1 Andy Roddick is hoping to see Serena Williams enthrall tennis fans with her power-packed game during the upcoming US Open. However, he is also mindful of the fact that every match could be her last.

Williams recently announced her decision to hang up her racquet after the US Open, which she will enter using her protected ranking.

During her opening match against Aliaksandra Sasnovich at the 2021 Wimbledon Championships, Williams suffered a torn hamstring, forcing her to retire mid-match. The American icon could not play another match for the next 12 months. She returned to this year's grass-court Major as a wildcard entrant, but lost to Harmony Tan in the first round.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion won her first match in 430 days when she downed Nuria Parrizas-Diaz at the Canadian Open. The second round saw Belinda Bencic beat Williams in straight sets. The 40-year-old's next task was at the Cincinnati Open. The tennis world watched as she was took on Emma Raducanu for the first time, but the 19-year-old Brit prevailed in a 6-4, 6-0 victory.

In a recent interview with the New York Post, Roddick expressed his excitement about Williams' ultimate tournament as a professional tennis player. He stated that much of the tournament is going to be about her and hoped that the legend enjoys herself amidst the hype.

"Obviously, it’s going to be all things Serena Williams as long as she’s in the tournament, and rightfully so," Roddick said. "I'd love nothing more than for her to kind of give us a thrill in that first week, but it’s going to be a weird scenario with that, just like every match could be her last. I hope she enjoys the innocent parts of it along the way because there’s going to be a huge hype mechanism around it."

Furthermore, Roddick also picked American youngster Coco Gauff to make a statement in New York.

"How Coco Gauff does I think is going to be a big deal," added the American. "She’s kind of progressed, but we’re waiting for that huge breakout."