Billie Jean King, Coco Gauff weigh in on why Serena Williams is the GOAT for them | WATCH

Serena Williams announcing her plans to retire from professional tennis at the end of the 2022 US Open has drawn a range of reactions from the tennis fraternity.

The likes of Billie Jean King and Coco Gauff, both fellow Americans, have said their farewells to the 23-time Grand Slam champion and shared their views on why Williams is the 'Great of all time' (GOAT) for them.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Canadian Open, King said the sport of tennis was blessed to have witnessed an athlete like Williams. She added that the 40-year-old transcends the boundaries of the sport and has been a champion for women, especially women of color.

"I think that we have been very blessed to have Serena Williams in our sport. Great athlete, I think a lot of people think she is the GOAT, I think every generation gets better. So right now she's the GOAT. I love reading about her and listening to her about how she's evolving. She has transcended the sport way beyond the boundaries of just being an athlete," King said.

"Because of her stature, using tennis is a platform way beyond, just the sport and giving back, and also making it better for women particularly women of color, it's just the beginning for Serena," she added

Gauff, meanwhile, said that Williams' personality and fight for equality off the court were the two attributes that made her the GOAT.

"I think for me, what makes her, the GOAT is her personality and all that she's done off the court," Gauff said. "To fight for equality, to fight for young players, like me and continue to lead in the way that she does lead. And I think that's what we really should be focused on and I think that's what I mean, that's just Serena."

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"An icon, a legend and the sport needs her" - Leylah Fernandez and Emma Raducanu pay tribute to Serena Williams

Serena Williams will retire from professional tennis after the 2022 US Open.

The video also features a slew of other younger players, mostly from Canada, sharing their views on Serena Williams' legacy.

2021 US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez said the American was an icon and that she had done incredible things for women, not only in tennis but in general too.

"[Serena Williams] is an icon, she's a legend and the sport needs her," Fernandez said. "She's done incredible things for not only tennis, but also for women. Just an incredible career."

Fernandez's conqueror at the US Open final, Emma Raducanu, meanwhile, said that Williams changed the game altogether as nobody has managed to dominate the sport as well as she did at her peak.

"She definitely changed the game. To dominate that, there’s not really been someone who’s dominated like her in the woman’s game so she really did change a lot in that respect," Raducanu said.

"It’s incredible her career that she’s achieved so much. To see her around in this US swing is really inspiring. She keeps playing because she obviously loves the game and that longevity of her career is something that a lot of the players, and me, all aspire to achieve as well," she added.