The tennis phenom says that she will retire from tennis after this year U.S. Open tournament.
All good things have their season and, unfortunately, all must come to an end. The Queen of tennis Serena Williams announced in a new interview with Vogue that she will be officially ending her reign after almost three decades.
In her latest cover story for Condé Nast fashion bible, the 23-time Grand Slam titan reflected on her career, what she's accomplished and what she is looking forward to as she steps into her next chapter.
"I have never liked the word retirement. It doesn’t feel like a modern word to me. I’ve been thinking of this as a transition, but I want to be sensitive about how I use that word, which means something very specific and important to a community of people," said Williams to Vogue. "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. A few years ago I quietly started Serena Ventures, a venture capital firm. Soon after that, I started a family. I want to grow that family."
The agency for a Black woman to make major life decisions by her own freewill and is a powerful act, no matter the arena. Williams is walking away from the sport on her own terms after breaking boundaries and making history for her athletic prowess and acute level skill for the game of tennis. An all around sportwoman, she has had to endure unwarranted scrutiny, judgement and heightened double standards as a Black female athlete. Through it all, she maintained her sense of grace and excellence.
She has achieved and accomplished more than what she or anyone else believed she would, becoming the definitive face of tennis globally. "I started playing tennis with the goal of winning the U.S. Open. I didn’t think past that. And then I just kept winning," said Williams.
Since her first U.S. Open win in 1999, Serena has continued to be an inspiration for many, especially young Black children with odds stacked against them. Through her example, she has left an indelible mark on the sports world and society over all.
