Serena Williams announced that she plans to retire tennis after the US Open, which begins on August 29 and ends on September 11.
The 40-year-old professional athlete first shared the news in her latest Vogue story, noting that the choice was difficult but necessary so that she can fully focus on this next chapter of her life, which revolves more around Serena Ventures and her family.
“I never liked the word retirement,” she told the outlet. “That doesn’t seem like a modern word to me. I thought of 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. Perhaps the best word to describe what I do is evolution.. I’m here to tell you that I’m moving from tennis to other things that are important to me. A few years ago, I quietly launched Serena Ventures, a venture capital firm. Shortly after, I started a family. I want to expand this family.
She added: “There is no happiness in this subject for me. I know it’s not a usual thing to say, but I feel a lot of pain. It’s the hardest thing I can imagine. I hate that. I hate having 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 end, but at the same time I’m ready for what’s next. I don’t know how I’m going to be able to look at this magazine when it comes out, knowing that this is it, the end of a story that began in Compton, California, with a little black girl who just wanted to play tennis. This sport has given me so much. I like to win. I love battle. I like to entertain.
Williams also revealed that before September Vogue problem, she hadn’t talked about it much with anyone except her therapist. She also admitted that she and her husband Alexis Ohanian are ready to welcome another child soon. They currently share a 4-year-old daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr.
She concluded: “I’m very bad at goodbyes, the worst in the world. But please know that I am more grateful to you than I can ever express in words. You have carried me to so many victories and so many trophies. I’m going to miss this version of me, this girl who played tennis. And I’m going to miss you.
Look at her Vogue cover below.
