After 27 years of playing tennis professionally, Serena Williams has retired. Throughout her career, she has done many incredible things, such as winning 23 Grand Slam titles, winning an Olympic medal, and the list goes on. Although you may know who Serena is, you probably don't know why she chose to retire.
Her daughter, Olympia, has said many times, “I want to be a big sister.” This is the reason Serena Williams retired; to grow her family. “A few years ago I quietly started Serena Ventures, a venture capital firm. Soon after that, I started a family. I want to grow that family,” she told Vogue magazine on August 9, 2022.
Serena grew up in Los Angeles in a big family with four siblings. Serena and her sister, Venus, started playing tennis at a very early age. They were coached by their father, Richard, as seen in the movie King Richard. By the time she turned 14, Serena was already a professional tennis player. On September 11, 1999, at only 17 years old, she won her first Grand Slam title in the United States. If you’re wondering, her last Grand Slam title was won at the 2017 Australian Open, while she was pregnant with her daughter Olympia.
For Serena, the end of her career is technically not “retirement.” “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,” she told Vogue. Of course, she didn't want to choose between tennis and her family. It is always a difficult decision for anyone to choose between their career and their family, especially if they are an athlete making millions of dollars a year. But she chose her family, which I think was a good decision. Although tennis is Serena’s passion, I've watched enough Fast and Furious movies to understand that family comes first.
Now that you know why she retired, you may be wondering how she retired, and what exactly happened. First of all, Serena lost to Ajla Tomljanović, a 29-year-old veteran who became a pro tennis player in 2009. It was a very long match, lasting just about three hours. At first, it looked as if Serena Williams might win the game due to her early lead. Tomljanović started to gain a lead in the fifth set, and ultimately won the match. But Serena put up a real fight, saving five match points. That was probably the last professional tennis game of her career, and it was a great one.
I don't want you thinking that Serena retired because she was beaten by Ajla Tomljanović, because that is not true. She knew that once she lost in the US Open she would retire, no matter who it was against.
“I don't think she should have retired. She should have just kept on going like Tom Brady.”
Many kids in Edgemont have some kind of opinion on the end of Serena Williams’ career. When asked about whether or not Serena Williams should have retired, an anonymous student said, “I don't think she should have retired. She should have just kept on going like Tom Brady.” Another student said, “It was good that she retired since she was already older and not as good as she used to be.” There were also some people who don’t know much about tennis but know about Serena. Another student said, “I don't really follow tennis, but I know that she is a very good tennis player and I'm not really sure why she retired.”
“I don't really follow tennis, but I know that she is a very good tennis player and I'm not really sure why she retired.”
I think we can all agree that Serena Williams is one of the most influential tennis players and athletes of all time. Most people know about her, even if they have never held a racket in their life or even followed the sport. Serena has influenced children and adults in many different countries and age groups. There is no doubt in my mind that she will go down in history as the G.O.A.T. of women's professional tennis.