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Serena Williams announces her retirement from tennis, saying ‘it’s the hardest thing I could ever imagine’ as she prepares to quit after the US Open and tries for another child at 40
Serena Williams has announced she is retiring from tennis, although she is not giving a firm date for her exit
“I’m here to tell you that I’m evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me,’ the legendary athlete has announced in the latest issue of Vogue.
“It’s the hardest thing that I could ever imagine. I don’t want it to be over, but at the same time I’m ready for what’s next.”
Williams’s retirement is not immediate. As she revealed in her piece, Williams is still hopeful she can play at the US Open in New York later this month. She’s also committed to playing at next week’s Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati.
“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.”
Williams isn’t looking for the kind of ‘farewell’ tour that many male athletes have enjoyed before their imminent retirements.
Instead, the younger half of the famed Williams Sisters thanked fans in her piece and admitted that she’s going to miss the game – and the person she once was.
“But I’m not looking for some ceremonial, final on-court moment,’ she continued. ‘I’m terrible at goodbyes, the world’s worst. But please know that I am more grateful for you than I can ever express in words. You have carried me to so many wins and so many trophies. I’m going to miss that version of me, that girl who played tennis. And I’m going to miss you.”
Williams not only wants to spend more time with her husband, Alexis, and their five-year-old, Olympia, but the 23-time Grand Slam singles winner revealed that the couple is trying to have another child in the near future.
