Serena Williams is "one of the greatest of all time", says fellow tennis legend Rafael Nadal as the 23-time grand slam winner prepares to hang up her racquet.
The 40-year-old, one of the most decorated players in the history of the sport, signalled her intent to "evolve away" from the game in an interview with Vogue Magazine earlier this month, hinting at her retirement following the U.S. Open in September.
With just shy of two-dozen grand slam singles titles, Williams trails only Margaret Court for the all-time record of 24 crowns, and could equal her in her farewell appearance.
Nadal, meanwhile, lies one behind her after victory in the Australian Open and French Open this year took him clear of Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer to 22, though the former's win at Wimbledon has seen him close the gap again.
The duo are set to feature at this week's Western and Southern Open, where Williams will face incumbent U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu, and the Spaniard - who will mark his return from injury - has nothing but praise for his fellow giant of the game.
"She is one of the greatest sports [people] of all time," he stated. "I feel lucky to share a tour for a long period of time with her.
"Of course, from a selfish point of view, it's sad that she's leaving the tour but, on the other hand, we can't thank her enough for all the things that she did for our sport.
"I think she's an amazing inspiration for a lot of people around the world and I think she deserves to choose whatever works for her better at this stage of her life.
"So I wish her all the best. Hopefully, we can keep seeing her around the tour because I always believe that our sport, or the sport in general, is bigger and better when legends are around and she is a legend.
"Hopefully, we can enjoy her in a different way around the tour."
Nadal was forced to withdraw ahead of the Wimbledon semi-finals earlier this year with an abdominal tear, and now faces a potentially nervy run through to the U.S. Open in terms of fitness.
But the 36-year-old is cautiously optimistic, adding: "I hope to be ready. That's what I'm trying to do. Try to be a little more conservative, but I hope I can be ready to play.
"Of course, I need some more days to analyse how things are going in terms of abdominal feeling.
"But things are going well for the moment, so hopefully I can manage to be ready. I'm excited. I want to play tennis again on the tour. I'm having a good season, I'm enjoying it, so I want to enjoy this week in Cincinnati."
Zheng to face Wang in first all-Chinese WTA 1000 semi-final in Wuhan
World number seven Zheng Qinwen will face Wang Xinyu in the first all-Chinese semi-final at a WTA 1000 event on Saturday, following the duo's quarter-final victories on Friday.
Zheng overcame Wimbledon and French Open runner-up Jasmine Paolini 6-2 3-6 6-3 in the last eight of the Wuhan Open, teasing several errors out of the Italian in the deciding set of a big-hitting encounter.
She has now won more matches since the end of Wimbledon (23) than any other player on the WTA Tour, and her next opponent will be compatriot Wang.
Wang came through a gruelling encounter with Ekaterina Alexandrova earlier on Friday, saving two match points en route to a 4-6 6-4 7-6 (8-6) victory.
Making her first WTA 1000 semi-final, the world number 51 is the second-lowest ranked player to ever reach that stage in Wuhan.
The winner of Saturday's tie will take on either Aryna Sabalenka or Coco Gauff in the final, with both players bidding to become the first Chinese player to go all the way at the tournament.
Data Debrief: Rare home contest in the offing
Since the inception of WTA 1000 events in 2009, only two local pairs have met in a semi-final match in the format, ahead of Zheng and Wang becoming the third this weekend.
Serena and Venus Williams faced off in Miami in 2009, while Madison Keys and Sofia Kenin battled it out in the final four of the 2019 Cincinnati Open.
Djokovic survives Mensik scare to reach Shanghai semi-final
Novak Djokovic continued on his quest for a 100th ATP Tour level title by edging out Jakub Mensik in a thrilling quarter-final encounter at the Shanghai Masters.
Djokovic had to come from a set down to claim the triumph, eventually prevailing 6-7 (4-7) 6-1 6-4 in two hours and 19 minutes against his Czech opponent.
The pair settled into the contest quickly, trading blows throughout as Mensik served up seven of his 17 aces in the first set, with a tie-break deciding who would go in front.
Despite taking a three-point lead, Djokovic found himself behind heading into the second set after a valiant comeback from the 19-year-old.
But the Serbian responded emphatically, finding a break of serve in the second game before hammering home his advantage, taking the encounter the distance.
Djokovic was again able to find an early break in the decider, with Mensik able to prolong the inevitable in the ninth game having squandered three opportunities for game point.
However, the world number four sealed the win in style, serving up a love game to set up a tie with Taylor Fritz in the final four after the American's win over David Goffin.
Data Debrief: Djokovic closing in on landmark victory
One of only three to reach 50 or more semi-finals along with Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, Djokovic has now reached his 78th ATP Masters 1000 semi-final - the most of any player since the format’s inception in 1990.
Including the Beijing Olympics, Djokovic remains undefeated in China against opponents ranked outside the ATP's top 20, moving to a record of 42-0 with his victory over Mensik.
Sabalenka breezes into third consecutive Wuhan Open semi-final
Aryna Sabalenka continued her Wuhan Open dominance as she reached her third consecutive semi-final at the competition with a straight sets victory over Magdalena Frech.
Sabalenka needed just over an hour to down her Polish opponent, emerging a 6-2 6-2 victor in a largely one-sided contest.
The Belarusian laid down a marker of her intentions early on, serving a love game in the opener before quickly racing into a 4-0 lead.
Frech would get her first point on the board in the fifth game, but the damage had been done in the opening exchanges as Sabalenka saw out her serve to take the advantage.
The world number two threatened to end the contest in double quick time after she claimed a 3-0 lead in the second set, only for Frech to respond and close to within one game.
However, Sabalenka held firm to secure the win, sealing the triumph with her third match point as she extended her winning streak to 15 matches in Wuhan.
Sabalenka will now face Coco Gauff for a place in the final in what will be the pair's first encounter since the Belarusian's semi-final win at the Australian Open earlier this year.
Data Debrief: Sabalenka continues Wuhan love story
Sabalenka is only the second player after Ashleigh Barty to reach the semi-finals of the Wuhan Open in all their first three appearances at this tournament.
Only Serena Williams (21 in Rome, 20 in Miami and 19 in Madrid) has won more consecutive matches in a single city hosting a WTA-1000 event than Sabalenka in Wuhan (15) since the format’s introduction in 2009.
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