Serena Williams announces retirement from Tennis, plans to spend more time with family

The 23-time major champion Serena Williams has announced that she will end her tennis career at the upcoming US Open. The tennis star announced the news in her story for the September edition of the Vogue magazine saying it’s something she had to do, despite hating every moment of it.

Williams has been dealing with injuries for the past couple of years as she has played only two tournaments since the last year’s Wimbledon. Serena turns 41 in September and wants to start a new chapter of her life with her family.

Williams has made a winning start in Toronto this week, and her fans will have a chance to see her for the last time at her beloved US Open.

In the Vogue’s September issue’s cover, the 23-time Grand Slam champion appears next to a “Serena’s Farewell” headline. In the article, she said, “Believe me, I never wanted to have to choose between tennis and a family. I don’t think it’s fair. But I’m turning 41 this month, and something’s got to give.”

“I have never liked the word retirement. It doesn’t feel like a modern word to me. 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,” she further added in the Vogue article.

Sharing the cover on Instagram, she captioned the post, “There comes a time in life when we have to decide to move in a different direction. That time is always hard when you love something so much. My goodness do I enjoy tennis. But now, the countdown has begun. I have to focus on being a mom, my spiritual goals and finally discovering a different, but just exciting Serena. I’m gonna relish these next few weeks.”

Williams has won 14 women’s doubles championships with her sister, Venus, in addition to two mixed doubles titles with Max Mirnyi. She was also the reigning champion for all four Grand Slams on two different occasions in 2003 and 2015.