Serena Williams burst into tears after losing her first match since announcing she would be retiring from tennis

• Serena Williams could not hold back her emotion at the Canadian Open on Thursday.
• The 40-year-old lost in the second round, just two days after announcing she would be retiring.

Serena Williams burst into tears after losing her first match since she announced that she would retire from tennis later this year.

Williams announced Tuesday that she will step away from the court after this year's US Open.

On Thursday, she was then beaten in straight sets by Switzerland's Belinda Bencic in the second round of the Canadian Open.

"It was a lot of emotions obviously," a tearful Williams said in her on-court interview after the defeat.

"I love playing here, I've always loved playing here. I wish I could have played better, but Belinda played so well today. It's been an interesting 24 hours."

Williams, who has won the Canadian Open three times, was presented with Toronto Raptors and Toronto Maple Leaves jerseys for her and her daughter Olympia.

She was also given a large bouquet of flowers.

"I was really happy to be out here today and play in front of you guys, thanks for the support," she said. "I'm terrible at goodbyes. But, goodbye Toronto."

As she left the court, she received wild applause and a standing ovation from the crowd.

—wta (@WTA) August 11, 2022

In Vogue on Tuesday, Williams said she was retiring so that she could focus on her family life and growing her venture capital firm, Serena Ventures.

In the article, she said she didn't like the word "retirement" – instead describing her decision as an "evolution."

"I'm here to tell you that I'm evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me," she said. "I started a family. I want to grow that family.

"I never wanted to have to choose between tennis and a family. I don't think it's fair. If I were a guy, I wouldn't be writing this because I'd be out there playing and winning while my wife was doing the physical labor of expanding our family."