Serena Williams to Retire: 'I'm Evolving Away From Tennis'
In an essay for Vogue's September issue, Williams says the transition won't be easy but she's ready for what's next.
Serena Williams has won 23 Grand Slam singles events as well as 14 Grand Slam women's doubles events with sister Venus Williams.
Serena Williams, winner of 23 Grand Slam singles titles and an icon of tennis, announced plans to retire from the sport in an essay written for Vogue Magazine's September issue.
"I'm here to tell you that I'm evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me," Williams said in the essay published Tuesday. "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."
Williams, who won her first US Open in 1999, has 73 WTA career titles in total and an 84.8% win record. Long considered a legend in US tennis, Williams is also a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and mother to her 5-year-old daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian, Jr., with her husband Alexis Ohanian, the co-founder of Reddit.
After the essay was published on Tuesday morning, Williams shared it in her own post on Twitter, calling it a "must read." Soon after, Williams' name was the No. 1 trending search on Twitter.
A must read. https://t.co/NSWDGHzsXK
— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) August 9, 2022
Though Williams didn't give an exact timeframe for her retirement, she said in a caption posted to Instagram that she was going to "relish these next few weeks," suggesting she may retire after the US Open, which begins Aug. 29 and ends on Sept. 11.
Representatives for Williams didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.