Why Is Serena Williams Retiring From Tennis?
Tennis player Serena Williams is recognized for having won more Grand Slam singles titles than any other person, woman or man since the beginning of the open era.
The Woman Post | Catalina Mejia
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Williams was born in September 1981, and learned tennis from her father, turning professional a few years later in 1995. During the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, both Serena and Venus won gold medals in the doubles event. The year 2022, was particularly successful for Serena, since she won the French Open, the US Open, and Wimbledon, defeating Venus during the finals of every tournament.
In a recent interview for Vogue Magazine, Serena opened her feeling to talk deeper about her retirement or as she wishes to call it “her evolution”. During the first part of the interview, she mentioned her daughter’s desire to be a big sister, and how she connected with that desire due to her own family, where she is one of five sisters. “I'm the youngest of five sisters myself, and my sisters are my heroes, so this has felt like a moment I need to listen very carefully to”, said Serena.
Later in the interview, Serena bared her soul to mention she would have never wanted to have to choose between tennis and a family. “I Don’t think it’s fair. If I were a guy, I wouldn’t be writing this because I’d be out there playing and winning while my wife was doing the physical labor of expanding 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 loved every second of being pregnant with Olympia”, she said. Williams also mentioned she was turning 41 months, and on this matter, she affirmed, “something’s got to give”.
In her own words, Serena likes to think of her retirement, rather than as an “evolution away from tennis” and towards other things that are important to her. It is worth mentioning that some years ago, she started Serena Ventures, a venture capital firm and after that, she started a family. Serena confessed that she feels like this is the right moment to grow that family. Regarding the impact of her decision in terms of her relationship with Alex, her husband, she mentioned they have hardly talked about this subject. She said the only person she has talked to about her decision is her therapist.
One thing is sure at this moment, while Serena will partially leave the tennis courts, she will continue to inspire millions of women to pursue their dreams, and she will remain an example of a great athlete, woman, mother, and human being. Serene surprised her fans with a very frank and open expression in the interview for Vogue. Although she mentioned that she is not good at goodbyes, she said: “I’d like to think that thanks to me, women athletes can be themselves. They can play with aggression and pump their fists. They can wear what they want and say what they want and kick butt and be proud of it all”.
