"Serena Williams saying farewell to professional tennis is going to be a sad day" - says Mats Wilander

Mats Wilander is sad to see Serena Williams say goodybe to tennis because she just menas too much to tennis.

Williams is one of the biggest names to retire in recent years and her absence will be felt. She's just one of severla high profile names that are going to retired in a few years with Federer coming up sooner rather than later. Wilander knows how it feel to walk away form a big part of your life and he reflected on the news:

“Serena Williams saying farewell to professional tennis is going to be a sad day, she has meant so much for the sport of tennis. Not just on the women’s side, but the men’s side as well. She has transcended the sport and taken tennis into living rooms and TVs that normally would not watch tennis. Serena Williams is considered the greatest female tennis player of all time, maybe the greatest player male or female."

Wilander looked back at some moments that will forever be remembered both by fans and her as well:

“I remember the heartbreak of her having 23 Grand Slam titles and making a couple of finals and not being able to get that elusive 24th. I also remember when she lost to Roberta Vinci at the US Open [in the semi-finals], when she had a chance to win the Calendar Grand Slam a few years back [in 2015]. Serena has shown she is one of the greatest athletes of all time in any sport, but she’s also shown that she’s human, and that’s where our passion and admiration for Serena Williams… it really doesn’t end anywhere.”

He finished off his piece with:

“Great things are still to come for Serena, at this moment I’m assuming the US Open will be her last tournament. If it is, I’m going to be one of the saddest people in the world, but also very proud and honoured to have covered her for so many years for Eurosport. Good luck Serena, and thank you for all you have done to our sport.”