"The more she has been criticized, the more she has reaffirmed herself; she is an iconoclast who has broken all the molds" - Garbine Muguruza on Serena Williams

Former world No. 1 Garbine Muguruza has called Serena Williams an "iconoclast who has broken all the molds."

After losing to Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic on a memorable night in New York, Serena Williams bid farewell to the US Open and her brilliant career that has spanned a quarter century.

The six-time champion at Flushing Meadows lost her third-round clash 7-5, 6-7(4), 6-1. The match will likely mark the end of a 27-year professional career that featured 23 Major singles victories. However, Williams hasn't officially confirmed her retirement.

In light of this, Garbine Muguruza recently spoke with Spanish newspaper EL PAIS about Williams' retirement and her influence in the tennis world. The Spaniard described Williams as a "controversial" figure who approaches things head-on and and triumphs in the face of adversity.

"She is a controversial woman who, when she does something, she does it full throttle," she said, adding, "She grows in the face of adversity: the more she has been criticized, the more she has reaffirmed herself. She’s become stronger, more groundbreaking and more rebellious. She is an iconoclast who has broken all the molds."

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"I must confess that recently, after reading the news of her retirement, I shed a few tears" - Garbine Muguruza on Serena Williams' retirement

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Garbine Muguruza continued by admitting that she "shed a few tears" when she learned that Serena Williams was quitting tennis. Even while she recognized that it made sense for Williams to retire, she felt concerned about the future of women's tennis.

"I must confess that recently, after reading the news of her retirement, I shed a few tears. I cried when she told us she was retiring, which is very rare for me. Somehow, her goodbye has shut down something inside me; something was extinguished," Muguruza said.

"When she announced that it was time to evolve and take the next step, which is only logical and perfectly fine, I thought: No, Serena’s leaving! Now what? Now who’s going to be the one to really lead tennis, to be an unmatched role model that we can look up to? Who will take on the legend’s mantle? That’s how much she means to me," she added.

The former world No.1 called Serena Williams a role model for the way she transformed the sport with her aggressive style, and has no doubt that she is the "greatest of all time."

"Serena has always been my role model because she transformed tennis. There are those who’ve been inspired by Sharapova or other great players, but Serena’s the one who definitively changed the game," Garbine Muguruza said.

"Not only has she dominated the sport for many years, but she has pioneered a powerful and aggressive style that blew away the previous generation, which played more tactical tennis. For all these reasons, she’s the greatest of all time. There’s no doubt about it," she added.