In a Tuesday essay for Vogue, the 40-year-old announced the news.
After a career that has seen her win 23 grand slam singles trophies, American tennis star, Serena Williams has announced that she would retire from tennis.
In a Tuesday essay for Vogue, the 40-year-old announced the news.
“I have never liked the word retirement,” Williams wrote. “Maybe the best word to describe what I’m up to is evolution. I’m here to tell you that I’m evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me.”
Williams claimed that her desire to grow her family had played a role in her choice. In 2017, she gave birth to Olympia, her first child.
“I never wanted to have to choose between tennis and a family. I don’t think it’s fair,” Williams wrote. “If I were a guy, I wouldn’t be writing this because I’d be out there playing and winning while my wife was doing the physical labor of expanding our family.”
Williams stated in the article that the US Open, which begins later this month and lasts through the beginning of September, will be her final competition.
"Unfortunately, I wasn’t ready to win Wimbledon this year,” she wrote. “And I don’t know if I will be ready to win New York. But I’m going to try. And the lead-up tournaments will be fun. I know there’s a fan fantasy that I might have tied Margaret [Court’s grand slam record] that day in London, then maybe beat her record in New York, and then at the trophy ceremony say, ‘See ya!’ I get that. It’s a good fantasy. But I’m not looking for some ceremonial, final on-court moment. I’m terrible at goodbyes, the world’s worst.”