After reaching the second round of the US Open, which may have been her last competitive match, Serena Williams announced on Monday that she was retiring from tennis but that her passion for the game will endure.
Williams hinted at her retirement in a Vogue story published in early August, saying she was “growing away from tennis.” However, she hasn’t quite been able to bring herself to confirm that Flushing Meadows would be the site of her last match.
Williams said with a grin after her gruelling but rewarding 6-3 6-3 victory against Danka Kovinic of Montenegro: “I’ve been really cryptic about it, right.” I won’t say anything specific since you never know.
Williams will not be quitting the sport that she claims has given her “everything” when she exits the stage.
Williams said, “I love the sport and I feel like it’s given me so much. “I never even imagined having a platform like the one it has given me.
“I don’t view myself as being excluded from tennis.
“As of now, I’m unsure of how I’ll participate in tennis. I’m simply not sure how.
However, I believe that we have progressed too far as a team to just stay out of it.
Williams has dominated the women’s game for more than 20 years, but she has a wide range of interests.
She has worked as an actor, a fashion designer, and a business investor. She was one among the first investors in MasterClass, one of Serena Ventures’ 16 unicorns—companies with a market value more than $1 billion.
Tennis will undoubtedly provide additional financial possibilities, but Williams’ influence on the game and relationship to it will certainly continue to be as a vocal advocate for diversity, racism, and other social concerns.
Although Williams, a 32-time Grand Slam champion, has not been able to pinpoint what her potential tennis position would be, she is aware of the influence she has had off the court but has never dwelled on it.
Williams remarked, “I don’t believe I’ve really taken a second to understand any influence.” “Although I am aware of it, I don’t really contemplate or think about it.
“I will soon have plenty of time to do all of it.
“I never imagined I would have that kind of an effect.
“In a moment when I could have this influence and be a voice, I was just a girl trying to play tennis.”