Tennis star Serena Williams said she’s “evolving away” from tennis and will retire from the game after the U.S. Open in New York City later this month.
Williams, whose legendary career encompasses two decades and 23 Grand Slam titles, revealed the end of her tennis career in a cover story she penned for Vogue. Williams said she was moving from tennis to other important things, including being a mother, her spiritual goals, and discovering a different side of herself.
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“I have never liked the word retirement. It doesn’t feel like a modern word to me,” Williams said in the piece, which was published Tuesday. “I’ve been thinking of this as a transition, but I want to be sensitive about how I use that word, which means something very specific and important to a community of people. Maybe the best word to describe what I’m up to is evolution. I’m here to tell you that I’m evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me.”
The most recent Grand Slam victory for Williams, who rose to prominence in the sport alongside her sister Venus after a victory in the U.S. Open in 1999, was at the Australian Open in 2017, shortly after the birth of her daughter. Williams said her daughter has been wanting to be a big sister, and one of her priorities after the U.S. Open is expanding her family.
“In the last year, Alexis and I have been trying to have another child, and we recently got some information from my doctor that put my mind at ease and made me feel that whenever we’re ready, we can add to our family,” Williams said. “I definitely don’t want to be pregnant again as an athlete. I need to be two feet into tennis or two feet out.”
The tennis star, now 41, has competed in two major tournaments this year. Williams is expected to compete Wednesday in the Canadian Open after winning her first match Monday, but she was eliminated at Wimbledon during the first round.
“Unfortunately I wasn’t ready to win Wimbledon this year,” Williams said of her defeat. “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.”
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In an Instagram post that teased the article, Williams said the countdown to the end of her journey in the sport has begun.
“I have to focus on being a mom, my spiritual goals and finally discovering a different, but just exciting Serena,” Williams said. “I’m gonna relish these next few weeks.”
