Serena Williams Tearfully Retired from a Finals Match—And Her Opponent Comforted Her

Serena Williams had a rough weekend on the tennis court—but in true Serena fashion, she's not letting it keep her down for long.

She was playing in the Rogers Cup in Toronto and made it all the way to Sunday's finals against 19-year-old Bianca Andreescu. But only four games into the first set, she was suffering from back spasms and had to see trainers on the court before eventually having to retire from the match, making Andreescu the champion.

What transpired next is one of the reasons that so many people love sports. Instead of immediately celebrating her tournament victory over one of the greatest players of all time, Andreescu's first thought was to walk over and comfort a visibly upset Williams. "I started tearing up because she was tearing up," Andreescu said during a post-match press conference, per CNN. "It's because I know how she feels. Injuries really, really suck."

In a video of the sweet moment, you can see Andreescu's admiration for Williams as she tells her how she's been watching her whole career. She even discerns that it's Williams's back that's giving her problems. "I know everything about you," she says while lamenting her own injuries.

"I just said, 'Girl, you are ... a beast. You're going to bounce back. You've dealt with so much in your career. This is just a minor setback for a major comeback," Andreescu said.

Williams had some very kind words to say about her opponent, as well. “I just think I was really sad, and she made me feel a lot better, so that was really nice,” she said. “She's only 19. She definitely doesn't seem like a 19-year-old in her words, on court and her game, her attitude, her actions…. She’s just a fabulous personality.”

Williams was hoping that the back spasms would subside and allow her to play the match. “I don't want to get this far and not at least try. I think I would have really regretted not at least going out there and seeing maybe if a miracle happened," she explained.

Even though this weekend was disappointing for Williams, she's already looking ahead: "It's been a tough year, but I'm going to keep going."

Originally Appeared on Glamour