American tennis player and 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams announced her upcoming retirement through an Instagram post to her followers on Aug. 9. She shared her Vogue September Issue cover and in the caption described that “the countdown has begun.” While her explanation was vague and indirect, she declared that her current focus lies on being a mother, her “spiritual goals and finally discovering a different, but just exciting Serena.” Vogue allowed Serena to publish her farewell to tennis, where she points out that her daughter’s desire for a little sister made her seriously consider taking a step back. She also admits that it is not up to her to choose between tennis and a family but if she were a man, she would not be put in this position because she would “be out there playing and winning while [her] wife was doing the physical labor of expanding [their] family.” Williams also mentioned her hopes of being seen as a symbol that focuses on “something bigger than tennis.”
Serena’s journey to prioritizing motherhood led to an emotional decision of retiring, and the speculations that it would happen following the 2022 U.S. Open tournament. Her journey began at the 1999 U.S. Open when 17-year-old Williams walked out with a victory. As the U.S. Open finishes, Williams ends her career with “at least 73 career singles titles, 23 career doubles titles and more than $94 million in career winnings.” Williams clarified that although the technical term for this new chapter in her life can be defined as “retirement”, she is choosing to refer to it as an evolution since her career is not entirely over.
On Monday, Aug. 29, Williams won her match against Montenegrin tennis player Danka Kovinić. Although Williams told Vogue she did not want a “ceremonial, final on-court moment,” following her victory against Kovinić, she received a special ceremony. Before she entered the court, a highlight video of her career narrated by Queen Latifah was shown. Williams’ admiration for Billie Jean also made this public farewell special since she delivered a congratulatory speech post-victory. Even though Williams did not announce a clear date regarding her retirement, U.S. Open organizers were prepared if she had not won the match, as it would have been her last game of the tournament, and possibly last game ever.
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Tennis is not the confinement of Williams’ successes in her career. Besides the court, fashion school was another one of her passions that she was able to pursue in between her numerous tennis accolades. When Serena retires from playing, she will have her clothing line (S by Serena), her jewelry company (Serena Williams Jewelry) and her financial investment sector (Serena Ventures) to focus her energies on. Her 2018 award-winning docuseries Being Serena demonstrated her challenge of devoting her time to her new family while continuing her dedication to training, and showed viewers that her decision to focus on motherhood wasn’t a new or recent thought of hers.
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