Serena will face Raducanu in Cincinnati

Serena Williams, who this week announced her impending retirement from the courts, will face Britain’s Emma Raducanu, surprise winner of the US Open last year, in the first round of the WTA 1000 in Cincinnati, according to the draw made on Friday .

The tournament held from Monday in Ohio looks set to be the penultimate for the tennis superstar, who is set to bid farewell to Flushing Meadows for the New York Major (August 29-September 11) that she won six times.

On Tuesday, she announced on Instagram and in an interview with Vogue magazine that “the countdown is on» Regarding the clap of the end of his career, 25 years long and rich in 23 Grand Slam titles in particular.

“There is a time in life when you have to decide to take a new route. It’s always a difficult moment when you love what you do so much. And God knows I love tennis“, she explained, saying she wanted “savor the next few weeks“.

The 40-year-old American remains on an elimination Wednesday in the second round in Toronto, against the Swiss Belinda Bencic, Olympic champion in Tokyo last year. Two days earlier, she had won her first match of the year, six weeks after her failed return to Wimbledon, beating modest Spaniard Nuria Parrizas Diaz.

In Cincinnati, where she has already won twice, she will have the opportunity to compete for the first time against Emma Raducanu, who created the sensation last year, triumphing at the US Open after leaving qualifications, without losing a single set.

The 19-year-old Briton, who has since struggled to confirm her status as a new star, did not fail to pay tribute to her eldest last week, “who changed the game“.

“There hasn’t really been anyone who has dominated women’s tennis like her for so long. This longevity in a career is something that many players, me in particular, aspire to achieve.“, she said.