Enjoy tennis’ G.O.A.T. while you still can
We knew this day was coming. We knew Serena Williams couldn’t play tennis forever, although her fans hoped she somehow would because Serena at any age is more entertaining than most athletes could ever dream of being.
But she turns 41 next month, is loving motherhood (and hoping for a second child), has won 23 Grand Slam titles and made nearly $100 million in prize money plus millions more in endorsements, so the end of her career had to be near.
The only question was when.
Now we know. She is thinking of making her exit after the upcoming U.S. Open.
Needless to say, the news was not revealed in a traditional release or news conference. Oh, no. Not a chance. This is not just any superstar athlete retirement. This is Serena Williams we’re talking about.
She announced she is “evolving away from tennis” (she doesn’t like the word “retire”) the way only Serena can — on the cover of Vogue magazine, looking glamorous and fit in a light blue Balenciaga gown, beautiful beach backdrop, with 4-year-old daughter Olympia a few feet away, holding up the train of her Mommy’s dress.
“There comes a time in life when we have to decide to move in a different direction,” is how her social media posts began Tuesday morning, directing her followers to her Vogue essay. “That time is always hard when you love something so