“I have never liked the word retirement,” Serena Williams told Rob Haskell of Vogue in early August 2022. “It doesn’t feel like a modern word to me. I’ve been thinking of this as a transition, but I want to be sensitive about how I use that word, which means something very specific and important to a community of people. Maybe the best word to describe what I’m up to is evolution. I’m here to tell you that I’m evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me.”
31 Aug 1998: Serena Williams of the USA during the US Open at Flushing Meadow , NY, USA. Mandatory Credit: Al Bello /Allsport
That is how Serena announced the inevitable end of her professional tennis career. The exact moment it will happen is unclear. While most are guessing that she will hang up her racket following this year’s US Open. Her use of the word “evolution” versus “retirement” leaves room for interpretation.
In her post-game conference on Monday, she was asked to clarify if this US Open would in fact be her final tournament.
“Yeah, I’ve been pretty vague about it, right?” Serena teased. “I’m going to stay vague because you never know.”
Serena rallied to a 6-3, 6-3 singles victory in the first round over Danka Kovinić. She will join her sister, Venus Williams, on Wednesday to play doubles.
In the Vogue article Serena went on to talk about the mark she hopes to leave behind. “I don’t particularly like to think about my legacy,” Williams explained. “I get asked about it a lot, and I never know exactly what to say. But I’d like to think that thanks to opportunities afforded to me, women athletes feel that they can be themselves on the court. They can play with aggression and pump their fists. They can be strong yet beautiful. They can wear what they want and say what they want and kick butt and be proud of it all. I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my career. Mistakes are learning experiences, and I embrace those moments. I’m far from perfect, but I’ve also taken a lot of criticism, and I’d like to think that I went through some hard times as a professional tennis player so that the next generation could have it easier. Over the years, I hope that people come to think of me as symbolizing something bigger than tennis. I admire Billie Jean because she transcended her sport. I’d like it to be: Serena is this and she’s that and she was a great tennis player and she won those slams.”
In addition to bidding farewell to the sport, Serena took a moment to bid farewell to that part of her that she will also miss.
“I’m not looking for some ceremonial, final on-court moment. I’m terrible at goodbyes,” Serena said. “The world’s worst. But please know that I am more grateful for you than I can ever express in words. You have carried me to so many wins and so many trophies. I’m going to miss that version of me, that girl who played tennis. And I’m going to miss you.”
Regardless of her moment of departure, history will know her for what she is…the Greatest of All Time aka The GOAT.