Serena Williams, a 23-time grand slam singles champion and one of the greatest athletes of all time, has announced her retirement from professional tennis, indicating she may do so after the upcoming US Open.
Williams, 40, described her intention to end her playing career as a “evolution” away from tennis in a Vogue column. “I’ve never liked the word retirement,” she explained. “Evolution may be the best word to describe what I’m up to.” I’m here to inform you that I’m shifting my focus away from tennis and toward other things that are important to me.”
Serena Ventures, a venture capital firm Williams founded, was among the preparations she made over the past few years off the court for the time she decided to move on. Williams also made investments in a number of organisations. She clarified, however, that her desire to grow her family even further is one of the main reasons she is retiring. Alexis Olympia, Williams’ first child, was born in 2017.
“I never wanted to have to decide between having a family and playing tennis. It’s not fair, in my opinion,” Williams wrote. If I were a guy, I wouldn’t be writing this since my wife would be doing the physical labour of growing our family while I was out there playing and winning.
Williams has won an Open era record 23 grand slam singles titles throughout the course of a legendary career that has lasted almost three decades since its start on the public courts of Compton, California. She has also earned a total of $94,588,910 in prize money and much more in sponsorships. Williams came shy of Margaret Court’s less significant 24-record, which was the all-time high.
Williams has had a variety of extracurricular activities since she was young, but she has also had one of the longest professional careers ever, second only to that of her 42-year-old sister, Venus, at the highest level of the sport. She has started countless comebacks, including twice after experiencing pulmonary embolisms that could have been fatal.
Williams became a professional in 1995 at the age of 14, and as a teenager phenom, she won her first grand slam championship at the US Open at the age of 17. Despite the miles on her legs now, Williams compared her emotions to the apparent happiness of Ashleigh Barty’s retirement in March and that of her close friend Caroline Wozniacki in 2020.
For me, this subject does not bring me joy,” she stated. “I know it’s unusual for me to say this, but I’m in a lot of pain. It’s the most difficult thing I can fathom. I abhor it. I detest having to stand at this turning point. I keep telling myself that I want things could be simple for me, but they aren’t. I can’t wait for it to be over, but I’m also eager for what comes after.
Serena Williams success was not just limited to singles, unlike many other greats. Although they only played a small amount of doubles, she and her sister, Venus, created one of the best doubles teams in history, winning 14 grand slam women’s doubles titles. In addition, she won two mixed doubles grand slam titles in 1998 and four gold medals in the Olympics, three of which she earned in doubles.
Being the first female African American grand slam champions since Althea Gibson in 1958 gives their accomplishments even more significance. They have both dominated a sport that is largely played by white, upper-class people and is excessively expensive. Williams’ serve, power, and athleticism have all contributed to her success, but so too have her intelligence, capacity for problem-solving, and mindset.
Serena Williams said in her lengthy, emotive article for Vogue that she wasn’t sure whether she would ever play tennis again after suffering a hamstring injury at Wimbledon last year and taking a year off. She returned to the practise courts after speaking with renowned golfer Tiger Woods, which she enjoyed enough to start a full recovery. At Wimbledon in June, Williams made her singles comeback but was defeated by Harmony Tan of France in the opening round.
Serena Williamss is taking part in the National Bank Open this week in Toronto, where on Monday she won her first singles match since June 2021 by defeating Nuria Parrizas-Diaz 6-3, 6-4. Serena Williams will compete in the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, Ohio, after Canada, and then the US Open, which starts at the end of August.
Serena Williams gave a strikingly detailed explanation of her motivations for quitting the sport, but she did not announce outright that she will retire at the US Open. However, the goal is now plainly seen. She wrote, “My gosh, I love tennis.” “However, the countdown has started now. I have to prioritise being a mother, achieving my spiritual objectives, and finding a new, interesting Serena. I’m going to enjoy these upcoming weeks.
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