Serena Williams makes most feared announcement
Serena Williams, the winningest tennis player of the Open Era, announced her retirement in Vogue, which dedicated its latest cover to her. “I have never liked the word retirement,” Williams wrote, “I don’t consider it a modern word. I’ve thought about evolution, but I want to be sensitive about how I use it, this word, which means something very specific and important to a community. Believe me, I never wanted to have to choose between tennis and family. I don’t think it’s fair.
If I were a male I wouldn’t have to write this, because I would be out there playing and winning while my wife would be doing the physical work of expanding the family. Maybe I would be more of a Tom Brady if I had the opportunity. Don’t get me wrong: I love being a woman and I loved every second of Olympia’s pregnancy. I was one of those boring women who love being pregnant and working until the day they go to the hospital, even though things got very complicated on the other side. And I almost did the impossible: many people didn’t realize I was two months pregnant when I won the Australian Open in 2017. But this month I turn 41 and something I have to leave behind.”
Williams has won 73 titles in singles (23 in Slams), 23 in doubles and over $94 million in prize money. Serena will retire after the U.S. Open, which begins later this month.
