Sports
Serena Williams announces her retirement from tennis
Serena Williams will retire after the U.S. Open, which will be played between late August and September
August 9, 2022 1:34pm
Updated: August 9, 2022 6:27pm
Serena Williams is playing her last few professional tennis matches. Hours after achieving her first victory since Roland Garros 2021 at the Canada Masters 1000, she was featured on the cover of Vogue magazine, where she confirms that she will retire at the end of this season.
"I've never liked the word retirement," Williams wrote. "Maybe the best word to describe what I'm doing is 'evolution.' I'm here to tell you that I'm evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me."
A must read. https://t.co/NSWDGHzsXK
— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) August 9, 2022
Williams, who turns 41 next month, has 73 singles titles, 23 doubles titles, and more than $94 million in career earnings. Serena is considered one of the greatest sportswomen of all time.
In her Vogue article, she noted that some of her critics point out that she has not won the most Grand Slam titles in the history of women's tennis, a record still held by Margaret Court.
"Some people say I'm not the GOAT because I haven't broken Margaret Court's record of 24 Grand Slam titles, which she achieved before the 'open era' that began in 1968," Williams said. "I would be lying if I said I didn't want that record."
Serena said she will retire after the U.S. Open, which will be played between late August and September. A win there would tie her with Court's Grand Slam record.
"I don't know if I'll be ready to win in New York. But I'm going to try," Williams opined about the tournament, which is played in Queens.
She has had sponsorships from companies such as Nike, Audemars Piguet, Away, Beats, Bumble, Gatorade, Gucci, Lincoln, Michelob, Nintendo, Wilson Sporting Goods, and Procter and Gamble.
"I never wanted to have to choose between tennis and a family. I don't think it's fair. If I were a man, I wouldn't be writing this because I'd be out there playing and winning while my wife is doing the physical work of expanding our family."
Williams focused on her family in the announcement: "I got to focus on being a mom, my spiritual goals, and finally discovering a different, but simply exciting Serena. I'm going to savor these next few weeks," the athlete posted in an Instagram post.
