Tennis legend Serena Williams to retire after U.S. Open in September
23-time Grand Slam champ says she is 'evolving toward other things that are important to me'
Serena Williams' appearance at the National Bank Open in Toronto will be the final one of her career.
The tennis legend said earlier Tuesday she is planning to retire from tennis sometime following the U.S. Open, which begins later this month.
Williams, who won her opening match at the National Bank Open on Monday, made the announcement in an essay released by Vogue magazine.
"I'm turning 41 this month, and something's got to give," Williams wrote in an essay released Tuesday by Vogue magazine.
She said she wasn't sure she'd be able to look at the magazine when the issue hit newstands, "knowing that this is it, the end of a story that started in Compton, California, with a little Black girl who just wanted to play tennis."
Williams, one of the greatest and most accomplished athletes in the history of her — or any other — sport, said she does not like the word retirement and prefers to think of this stage of her life as "evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me."
Williams is playing this week in Toronto, at a hard-court tournament that leads into the U.S. Open, the year's last Grand Slam event, which begins in New York on Aug. 29.
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The American has won more Grand Slam singles titles in the professional era than any other woman or man. Only one player, Margaret Court, collected more, 24, although she won a portion of hers in the amateur era.
"I'd be lying if I said I didn't want that record. Obviously I do. But day to day, I'm really not thinking about her. If I'm in a Grand Slam final, then yes, I am thinking about that record," Williams said. "Maybe I thought about it too much, and that didn't help. The way I see it, I should have had 30-plus Grand Slams."
I never wanted to have to choose between tennis and a family. I don't think it's fair.— American tennis player Serena Williams
But, Williams went on to write, "These days, if I have to choose between building my tennis resume and building my family, I choose the latter."
Off tour for a year
She and her husband, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, have a daughter, Olympia, who turns 5 on Sept. 1.
"Believe me, I never wanted to have to choose between tennis and a family. I don't think it's fair," said Williams, who was pregnant when she won the 2017 Australian Open for her last Grand Slam trophy. "If I were a guy, I wouldn't be writing this because I'd be out there playing and winning while my wife was doing the physical labour of expanding our family."
Williams was off the tour for about a year after getting injured during her first-round match at Wimbledon in 2021. She returned to singles competition at the All England Club this June and lost in the first round.
After that defeat, Williams was asked whether she would compete again.
"That's a question I can't answer," she said at the time. "I don't know. … Who knows? Who knows where I'll pop up?"
Williams hints in the essay that the U.S. Open will be her last tournament but does not say so explicitly.
"I'm not looking for some ceremonial, final on-court moment," Williams wrote. "I'm terrible at goodbyes, the world's worst."
Plans to celebrate in Toronto
The announcement has already set off plans to celebrate Williams, along with ticket sales having skyrocketed according to tournament director Karl Hale.
"Tremendously [impacts everything with the tournament]. Ticket sales have gone through the roof, we'll be sold out by [6 p.m.] today, which doesn't happen on a Wednesday, typically," he said. "The media requests have been significant to say the least, everybody wants to see Serena and talk to her. Even the players in the players lounge, everybody's talking about Serena."
"Tomorrow night, we'll celebrate her for sure."
WATCH | Canadian fans call Serena Williams an icon:
The American has won more Grand Slam singles titles in the professional era than any other woman or man. Only one player, Margaret Court, collected more, 24, although she won a portion of hers in the amateur era.
"I'd be lying if I said I didn't want that record. Obviously I do. But day to day, I'm really not thinking about her. If I'm in a Grand Slam final, then yes, I am thinking about that record," Williams said. "Maybe I thought about it too much, and that didn't help. The way I see it, I should have had 30-plus Grand Slams."
But, Williams went on to write, "These days, if I have to choose between building my tennis resume and building my family, I choose the latter."
She and her husband, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, have a daughter, Olympia, who turns 5 on Sept. 1.
News saddening to younger players
Despite Williams' announcement being considered imminent, for younger players like American Coco Gauff, the news is still saddening.
"A little bit sad because I've always wanted to play her so I'm hoping my draw in Cincinnati or the U.S. Open or even here, can work out so we could play each other because that's one of my goals," the 18-year-old said.
Her legacy has been one to behold and one that Gauff believes may be untouchable.
"I think the legacy she's left on the world just through her tennis career is something that I don't think any other player could touch. I think the legacy she'll continue to leave throughout her life is something that can inspire many more generations," she said.
When asked about her impact on her being young Black tennis player, Gauff made sure to point out it wasn't just Williams who made an impact, it was also her dad Richard Williams.
"I grew up watching her. That's the reason why I played tennis. Tennis being a predominantly white sport, it definitely helped a lot because I saw somebody look like me dominating the game and it made me believe that I could dominate too.
"Mr. Williams and all that he's done for both [Venus and Serena] of them, inspired my dad to continue to coach me and help me even though he didn't [have much] tennis experience. He was like, 'if Mr. Williams could do it, then I can.' It's not so much just what Serena and Venus have left, it's also the whole Williams family in general."
With files from The Canadian Press
