Serena Williams, the world’s most successful female athlete, has said she is “evolving away” from the sport she dominated for years.
The 23 grand slam winner first hinted about her retirement on her Instagram page, saying the countdown has begun to retire from tennis and focus on being a mum, expand her spiritual goals and focus on self-discovery.
“But now the countdown has begun. I’m gonna relish these next few weeks” she said.
In her latest interview with Vogue, Williams expresses her struggle over making the decision to retire from the sport, she said “I’ve been reluctant to admit to myself or anyone else that I have to move on from playing tennis. Alexis, my husband, and I have hardly talked about it; it’s like a taboo topic. 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 comes up, I get an uncomfortable lump in my throat, and I start to cry. The only person I’ve gone there with is my therapist! One thing I’m not going to do is sugarcoat this. I know that a lot of people are excited about and look forward to retiring, and I wish I felt that way. “
Williams made her singles return at Wimbledon in June after a lengthy injury lay-off that had led to speculation about her retirement.
She says she will play at the US Open, where she has won six of her major singles titles, later in August.
Williams has won more major singles titles than any female player in the Open era and the second most of all time, behind Margaret Court’s 24.
On Monday, she had her first singles win in 14 months, beating Spain’s Nuria Parrizas Diaz to reach the second round of the National Bank Open in Toronto.
“I’m terrible at goodbyes, the world’s worst. But please know that I am more grateful for you than I can ever express in words.”