319 weeks as world No. 1; Australian Open Champion – 7x; Wimbledon Champion – 7x; US Open Champion – 6x; Roland-Garros champion – 3x. This is the tennis legacy of the GOAT Serena Williams.
In a moving editorial for Vogue magazineIn her latest issue, Serena Williams announced that after the US Open which begins on August 29, she will “step away from tennis”.
“…I was hesitant to admit to myself or anyone else that I needed to stop playing tennis. Alexis, my husband and I barely talked about it; it’s like a taboo subject. I can’t even have this conversation with my mom and dad. It’s like it’s not real until you say it out loud. It happens, I get an uncomfortable lump in my throat and I start crying. The only person I’ve really been there with is my therapist! One thing I’m not going to do is sugarcoat this. I know a lot of people are excited and looking forward to retirement, and I really wish I felt that way,” Williams wrote in the emotional post.
Here are some excerpts from the article:
Tennis and Family
Believe me, I never wanted to have to choose between tennis and a family. I don’t think that’s fair. If I were a man, I wouldn’t be writing this because I would be playing and winning while my wife did the physical work of growing our family. Maybe I’d be more of a Tom Brady if I had the chance. Don’t get me wrong: I love being a woman and I loved every second of being pregnant with Olympia. I was one of those annoying women who loved being pregnant and worked until the day I had to show up at the hospital, even though things got super complicated on the other side. And I almost did the impossible: a lot of people don’t realize that I was two months pregnant when I won the Australian Open in 2017. But I’m 41 this month, and something has to give.
“Retirement”
I never liked the word retirement. It doesn’t seem like a modern word to me. I thought of this as a transition, but I want to be sensitive to 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.
His legacy
I don’t particularly like to think about my heritage. I get asked about this a lot and I never know exactly what to answer. But I would like to think that because of the opportunities I have been given, female athletes feel like they can be themselves on the field. They can play aggressively and pump their fists. They can be strong but beautiful. They can wear what they want, say what they want, kick ass and be proud of it all. I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my career. Mistakes are learning experiences and I enjoy those moments. I’m far from perfect, but I’ve also received a lot of criticism, and I’d like to think that I got through some tough times as a professional tennis player so that the next generation can have an easier life.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t ready to win Wimbledon this year. And I don’t know if I’ll be ready to win New York. But I will try. And the preparatory tournaments will be fun. I know there’s a fan fantasy that I could have matched Margaret that day in London, then maybe broken her record in New York, and then said at the trophy ceremony, “See you soon!” I understand that. It’s a good fantasy. But I’m not looking for a ceremonial and final moment on the field. I’m terrible 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.
Read the full article on Vogue here.
Credits
Photography: Luis Alberto Rodríguez
Hair: Latisha Chong and Tav Kinard
Makeup: Raisa Flowers.
