When asked about her tennis future, Serena Williams said she would be “developing away” from the game after the US Open.
The 23-time Grand Slam singles winner from the United States revealed in a Vogue article that she is focusing on “other things that are essential to me” and that she dislikes the word “retirement.”
The countdown has started, she stated in a related Instagram post. Adding that she would enjoy the upcoming weeks at the same time
After a protracted injury layoff that raised questions about her potential retirement, Williams made her singles comeback at Wimbledon in June.
Later in August, she plans to compete at the US Open, where she has won six major singles titles.
Williams has won the second-most major singles titles overall, just behind Margaret Court’s 24 victories, and more than any other female player during the Open era.
She defeated Spain’s Nuria Parrizas Diaz on Monday to advance to the second round of the National Bank Open in Toronto, recording her first singles victory in 14 months.
Williams claims in the lengthy essay that she has been hesitant to declare to anyone—including herself—that she must give up tennis. She continued by saying that her husband Alexis and she hardly ever discussed retiring.
Along with six US Open medals and three French Open crowns, Williams has won the Wimbledon and Australian Open singles tournaments seven times each.
When she was 17 years old, she won the 1999 US Open, her first major championship.
While eight weeks pregnant with Olympia, she won her final Slam championship at the 2017 Australian Open.
She claims that the thought of maybe giving up tennis brings her “no enjoyment.”
Williams returned to the sport after almost dying during childbirth with Olympia and made it to four major finals. But, unfortunately, she lost them all, leaving her only one shy of Court’s record.
She writes in her essay, “I definitely don’t want to get pregnant again as an athlete.
Serena Williams plans to retire after a successful career
Throughout her career, Williams has drawn packed stadiums and ardent supporters, making her one of the most recognizable athletes in the sport.
She and her older sister Venus are widely credited with revolutionizing tennis, motivating young players, and advancing gender equality.
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According to Williams, expecting the best from myself and disproving people is the “essence of being Serena.”
Williams and Venus also shared 14 Grand Slam doubles titles, two mixed doubles Slam titles, and four Olympic gold medals in both the singles and doubles events.
Along with her tremendous successes, she has experienced a number of close calls that prevented her from adding to her big accomplishments, including heartbreaking losses at the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2021.
She also had several contentious moments in the US Open, including the 2018 final in New York, when she accused umpire Carlos Ramos of being a thief.
Forbes named Williams the highest-paid female athlete of all time, and she has started a venture capital firm in recent years.
She is also a member of a group that provided financial support for a brand-new National Women’s Soccer League franchise based in Los Angeles.
