By: Nina Samone
Tennis icon Serena Williams has announced that she plans to step away from tennis to focus on other aspects of her life.
The impact Williams has had on and off the court will be remembered forever and has been marked in the history books – from breaking ground on racial equity in the sport of tennis to challenging gender norms by winning the 2017 Australian Open 2-months pregnant.
Williams never wanted to choose between tennis and her family, she said in a recent Vogue article. However, she so often hears her daughter, five-year old Olympia, express her desires to be an older sister.
Williams remembers her own relationship with her sisters, being the youngest of five.
Now that she is in her early 40s, Serena wants to focus on expanding her family and on other things that are important to her.
She has been careful to avoid the word “retire,” and instead prefers to say she is “evolving” or “transitioning” away from tennis and onto other things.
In the Vogue article, Williams talks about the difficult crossroads she is at – how taboo the topic of her moving on from tennis is in her family and how much pain there is for her.
In her own words, “I don’t want it to be over, but at the same time I’m ready for what’s next.”
Williams has made a very defined mark in tennis history – especially for athletes of color.
According to an article in The New York Times, at age 17, Williams became the first Black player since Arthur Ashe in 1957 to win a Grand Slam singles title and the first Black woman since Althea Gibson in 1958.
She was just shy of breaking the Grand Slam singles title of 24 set by Margaret Court – ending her own championship journey with 23.
Williams’ mark will forever be left on the game of tennis.
Sources:
Streeter, Kurt. August 9th, 2022. The New York Times. “Serena Williams Leaves Tennis Just as She Played: On Her Own Terms.” <https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/09/sports/tennis/serena-williams-retiring-tennis.html>
Williams, Serena & Haskell, Rob. August 9th, 2022. Vogue Magazine. “Serena Williams Says Farewell to Tennis On Her Own Terms – And In Her Own Words.” <https://www.vogue.com/article/serena-williams-retirement-in-her-own-words>
