Tennis legend Serena Williams plans to retire sometime after US Open – Sportsnet.ca

Serena Williams, one of the most transcendent and dominant contenders in tennis history, is eventually retiring from the sport after playing one last time at the US Open, she announced in a personal essay published by Vogue on Tuesday .

“I never liked the word retirement‘ Williams wrote. “It doesn’t feel like a modern word to me. I’ve taken this as a transition, but I want to be sensitive about how I use this word, which means something very specific and important to a community of people. Maybe the best word to describe what I’m about to do Evolution. I’m here to tell you that I’m evolving away from tennis and into other things that are important to me.”

Williams didn’t give an exact date for her retirement, but sharing the Vogue cover story on her personal Instagram, she hinted that the US Open – which starts later this month – could be her final tournament. “The countdown has started,” she said, adding, “I’m going to enjoy these next few weeks.”

Among the things she’s moving into, she says, is working more closely with Serena Ventures, her venture capital firm, and building her family.

Williams shared a story about her five-year-old daughter, Olympia, who used an interactive learning app while they drove to get her a new passport. The app asked Olympia what she wanted to be when she grew up, to which she replied that she wanted to be a big sister.

“Believe me, I never wanted to choose between tennis and a family,” Williams wrote. “I don’t think that’s fair. If I were a man I wouldn’t be writing this because I would be out there playing and winning while my wife does the physical labor to add to our family. Maybe I’d be more of a Tom Brady if I had that opportunity.

“Don’t get me wrong, I love being a woman and I’ve enjoyed every second of my pregnancy with Olympia. I was one of those annoying women who loved being pregnant and worked up until the day I had to report to the hospital – although things got super complicated on the other side. And I almost did the impossible: A lot of people don’t know that I was two months pregnant when I won the Australian Open in 2017. But I’ll be 41 this month and something has to happen.”

She went on to say that she and her husband Alexis Ohanian were planning to have another child.

“For the last year Alexis and I have been trying to have another child and we recently received some information from my doctor that has put my mind at ease and that we can expand our family whenever we are ready . I definitely don’t want to get pregnant again as an athlete,” Williams wrote. “I need to be two feet into tennis or two feet out.”

News of her retirement plan comes on the morning after her first singles win in 430 days when she defeated Spain’s Nuria Párrizas Díaz at the National Bank Open in Toronto on Monday. After the match, Williams hinted that the twilight of her storied career may be drawing to a close, saying that “there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.”

Seeing the ending didn’t make it any easier to achieve, however.

Williams said she’s hesitant to admit she needs to stop gambling and has rarely spoken about it — not even to her husband — because “it’s like it’s not real until you say it out loud.” It comes up, I get an uncomfortable lump in my throat and I start to cry.”

Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam champion, has been a quintessential figure in tennis since her first US Open win in 1999, drawing parallels – and differences – between her impending retirement from the game and the departures of other famous players.

She wrote about former world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty, who left the sport at the top of her game in March feeling ready to move on. She wrote about Caroline Wozniacki, who was the No. 1 singles player in the world for 71 weeks and felt a sense of relief as she retired in 2020. And she wrote about not having the same experiences.

“Kudos to these people, but I’ll be honest. There is no happiness for me in this subject,” Williams wrote. “I know it’s not customary to say this, but I feel a lot of pain. It’s the hardest thing I could ever imagine. I hate it. I hate that I have to be at this crossroads. I keep telling myself I wish it was easy for me, but it’s not. I’m torn: I don’t want it to be over, but at the same time I’m ready for what’s next.”

Looking back on her career, Williams reflected on the remarkable trajectory of her life, a story that began in Compton, California “with a little black girl who just wanted to play tennis” and made her arguably the greatest winner of all sports.

The standout moments as she stands on the verge of what’s next have been the wins, the thrill of battle, the joy of entertaining on some of tennis’s most historic stages, “waiting in the hallway in Melbourne and walking with mine.” Headphones into Rod Laver Arena trying to stay focused and drown out the noise but still feel the energy of the crowd. Night Games at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing Meadows. Hitting an ace at set point.”

Reaching her heights took a unique drive, something she honed and pursued throughout her career. Often it came from a place of defiance.

“To me, that’s the essence of Serena: expecting the best in myself and proving people wrong,” Williams wrote. “There were so many games I won because something made me angry or someone counted me out. That drove me. I’ve built my career on channeling anger and negativity and turning it into something good. My sister Venus once said that if someone out there says you can’t do something, it’s because they can’t. But I did. And you can too.”

The American has won more Grand Slam singles titles in the pro era than any other woman or man. Only one player, Margaret Court, collected more, 24, although she won part of it in the amateur period.

Williams, whose last Grand Slam tournament win came while pregnant during the 2017 Australian Open, was eliminated from Wimbledon in the first round in June and fell in three sets to Harmony Tan in the first round at the All England Club.

“The way I see it, I should have had more than 30 Grand Slams. I had my chances after coming back from childbirth,” Williams wrote. “I went from a cesarean to a second pulmonary embolism to a Grand Slam final. I played while breastfeeding. I went through postpartum depression. But I didn’t get there. Should, would, could. I didn’t show up like I should or could have. But I showed up 23 times, and that’s fine. Actually, it’s extraordinary. But these days when I have to choose between building my tennis resume and building my family, I choose the latter.”

The National Bank Open is only the second tournament of the season for Williams after she returned to competition at Wimbledon just over a month ago.

Should she retire shortly after the tournament in New York, her final matches in Canada are scheduled for this week. Williams is scheduled to play on Wednesday, an event that can be seen on Sportsnet.

“Unfortunately this year I wasn’t ready to win Wimbledon. And I don’t know if I’ll be ready to win New York, Williams wrote. “But I will try it. And the preparation tournaments will be fun. I know there’s a fan fantasy that I tied up Margaret that day in London, then maybe broke her record in New York, and then at the awards ceremony I said, ‘See you!’ I get that. It’s a good one Fantasy. But I’m not looking for a ceremonial, final moment on the pitch. I’m terrible at goodbyes, the worst in the world. But please know that I am more grateful to you than I can ever put into words. You have carried me to so many wins and so many trophies. I will miss that version of me, that girl who played tennis. And I will miss you.”