The 40 years old Serena Williams may be announcing her intention to retire from tennis after the US Open
Serena Williams, the owner of 23 Grand Slam singles trophies, will retire from tennis after the U.S. Open this summer. Williams, 40, confirmed her plans on the website of Vogue magazine on Tuesday.
She explained her decision to competing desires for another kid while playing against the world’s finest tennis players.
“I’m going to miss that version of myself, that person that played tennis,” Williams remarked, before adding, “And I’m going to miss you.”
“I’m 41 this month, and something has to give,” Williams stated, presumably alluding to the print magazine’s September publication date.
Williams holds the Open Era record for the most Grand Slam singles championships won by a woman or a man. The only tennis player with more major singles championships is Margaret Court of Australia, whose record of 24 victories has weathered Williams’ inspired onslaught in recent years.
Williams will have a protected ranking of No. 16 when the main draw of the US Open begins on August 29. The event will undoubtedly bring tributes to one of the greatest tennis players ever to pick up a racket during the next two weeks.
Williams is come full circle in many ways by calling it a career next month. She was only 17 years old when she won her first Grand Slam singles title at the US Open in 1999
“I started playing tennis with the intention of winning the US Open,” she explained. “I didn’t think any farther than that. Then I just kept on winning.”
Indeed, Williams continued to amass trophies, surpassing Martina Hingis, Monica Seles, and her sister, Venus. Then she etched her place in history with Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, and Martina Navratilova.
Williams commended the athletes who came before her in her Vogue piece, both for their abilities and for battling for gender equality. She also discussed her expanding business interests and the inspiration she has garnered from other prominent women, like Facebook veteran Sheryl Sandberg and Caryn Seidman-Becker, CEO of security firm Clear Secure.
Serena Williams progresses to the second round of the Canadian Open in straight sets.
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Williams avoided mentioning her personal legacy as she announced her retirement, but she was clearly enthusiastic about her business efforts, which included supporting startups, particularly those run by women and people of color.
“I wrote one of MasterClass’s very first checks,” she explained. “It’s one of 16 unicorns — firms worth more than $1 billion — that Serena Ventures has invested in, including Tonal, Impossible Foods, Noom, and Esusu, to name a few.”
Serena Williams appears to be unstoppable, as several opponents have claimed throughout the years.
