Serena Williams, of the U.S.A., celebrates after defeating Nuria Parrizas-Diaz of Spain, during the National Bank Open women’s tennis tournament in Toronto on Aug. 8.Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press
In her return to a Canadian city she has long adored, tennis legend Serena Williams did something in Toronto on Monday that she has not done in more than 14 months.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion beat Spain’s Nuria Parrizas-Diaz 6-3, 6-4 to reach the second round of the WTA’s National Bank Open in Toronto – a tournament the American has won three times. It was Williams’s first singles victory since her last appearance at Roland Garros in May, 2021.
“I was happy to win a match,” Williams told reporters after her win at York University’s Sobeys Stadium. “It’s been a very long time. I forgot what it felt like.”
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Williams has recently returned to action after a full year away from competition at Wimbledon in June, where she suffered her second straight first-round exit at the grass-court major she has won seven times. “I didn’t retire, I just needed to heal,” she told the press in London before the Championships.
Now just over a month shy of her 41st birthday, Williams is making her 10th appearance in this Canadian WTA tournament. She has reached the semi-finals or better in her last six appearances at this event.
When it was last held in Toronto in 2019, Williams met Canada’s Bianca Andreescu in the final, and retired with back spasms after just a few games. She and Andreescu shared a touching moment on court, with the young Canadian comforting the veteran star.
Williams has had some big career moments at this tournament. The first time she won it, she was just 19 years old in 2001, overcoming top-seeded Jennifer Capriati in a three-set thriller. It was a full decade before she won it again. She beat Sam Stosur in the 2011 final – part of a extraordinary comeback after missing 49 weeks with a foot injury and then blood clots in her lungs. In the 2013 event, Williams didn’t drop a set all weekend, breezing to a dominant win over Sorana Cirstea to grab her eighth title of that season. Toronto rapper Drake has attended to watch Williams in past years.
While the WTA tournament rotates between Toronto and Montreal each year, all three of Williams’s titles came in Toronto. Canada’s WTA 1000 tournament has often propelled her to a strong finish in the hardcourt season. She plans to play the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati and then on to the U.S. Open, a slam she has claimed six times.
Since returning from maternity leave in 2018, Williams has been in pursuit of that elusive 24th title to tie Margaret Court’s long-standing record for most Grand Slam victories.
“I love playing, so it’s amazing. But I can’t do this forever,” she said.
“Sometimes you just want to try your best to enjoy the moments and do the best that you can.
Just as in past years, Williams received a warm welcome from the Toronto crowd Monday afternoon. Her four-year-old daughter Olympia was in the stands.
“You know, she’s never sat at my match. So I was super excited,” Williams said. “I looked over and I saw her in the middle of the first set and I was like, ‘Oh, my God, why is she here?’ And then I went into mom mode, like, ‘Does she have on her sun cream?’”
She said her mind wandered when she saw the little girl. She briefly wondered if she would feel more comfortable having her daughter seated up in a suite. But then the star allowed herself to just relax and play, reasoning that the child deserved the fun experience.
“So it’s kind of cool that it happened in Toronto but I didn’t expect it,” Williams said. “But I was like, ‘Okay Serena, just let go and enjoy this.’ It was good for her to have that memory. I mean, it’s pretty cool. And she’s never had it because I’ve always kept her away.”
Williams also has her husband along for the trip to Toronto, entrepreneur Alexis Ohanian. The couple took their daughter to Medieval Times over the weekend.
“It’s no secret that I’ve had a fabulous time on court,” Williams said of her affections for the city. “And probably even better time off court here in Toronto,”
Her sister Venus Williams, 42, is also playing here this week – her 11th appearance in this event. She was scheduled for Monday night’s late match, facing Jil Teichmann of Switzerland. Rain in Toronto caused delays in the first-round action on Day 1.
Canada’s Leylah Annie Fernandez, the tournament’s No. 13 seed, was scheduled to play Australian qualifier Storm Sanders Monday night too when play resumed.
Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan and Romania’s Simona Halep also advanced Monday afternoon before the rain began to fall. Sloane Stephens won a lengthy rain-interrupted match over fellow American Sofia Kenin.