Serena Williams announced she’s planning to “evolve” away from tennis, which is a fancy way of saying she’s retiring.
The tennis legend has an issue with using the “r word,” so she layered her essay on vogue.com announcing the big news by saying her tennis career is winding down, and she cited her desire to grow her family.
Again, the operative word is not “retirement,” it’s evolution. There’s no question she’s the most accomplished female tennis of all time, and the game will feel a little different without her in it.
Here’s a portion of her announcement.
“I’ve been reluctant to admit to myself or anyone else that I have to move on from playing tennis. Alexis [Ohanian], my husband, and I have hardly talked about it; it’s like a taboo topic. I can’t even have this conversation with my mom and dad. It’s like it’s not real until you say it out loud.
“It comes up, I get an uncomfortable lump in my throat, and I start to cry. The only person I’ve really gone there with is my therapist! One thing I’m not going to do is sugarcoat this. I know that a lot of people are excited about and look forward to retiring, and I wish I felt that way.”
It’s safe to say Williams will be the star attraction at the Canadian Open, where she is playing now. She won her first match Monday, and the 40-year-old will play another tune-up tourney before trying to play at the US Open later this month. She is currently sitting at 23 major titles for her career, one off Margaret Court’s record of 24.
It would be a Hollywood ending if she could get her final major in New York.
“I know there’s a fan fantasy that I might have tied Margaret that day in London, then maybe beat her record in New York, and then at the trophy ceremony say, ‘See ya!’ I get that. It’s a good fantasy. But I’m not looking for some ceremonial, final on-court moment. I’m terrible at goodbyes, the world’s worst.”
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