Web Desk (LTN NEWS): Serena Williams shocked her sport when she was only 17 and won the first of her 23 Grand Slam singles titles at the 1999 U.S. Open. She had beaded braids, a lot of power, and a lot of intelligence and poise for someone so young.
So began a journey that, with a lot of help from her sister Venus and her pioneering parents, changed the game, went beyond tennis and made Williams a star in fashion, entertainment, and business, changing how people inside and outside of sports saw female athletes.
Williams set the stage on Tuesday for the tennis part of that journey to end at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center and the U.S. Open, where it started so many championships, battles, fist pumps, and yells of “Come on!” ago.
In a first-person article in the famous September issue of Vogue, which came out online on Tuesday, Williams said she planned to quit tennis after playing in the U.S. Open for the 21st time, which starts later this month. Williams made the announcement in her own unique way, as she has for more than 20 years. In the as-told-to cover story, she said that she has “never liked the word retirement” and would rather use the word “evolution” to describe her next steps.
She said, “I’m moving away from tennis to focus on other things that are important to me, like growing my family and working at my venture capital firm.”
Williams didn’t say for sure when she might stop playing, but she hinted on Instagram that the U.S. Open could be her last tournament. She also left the door ever-so-slightly open to continue playing or come back, which is something that many players do when they retire. She said, “The countdown has started,” and added, “I’m going to enjoy the next few weeks.”
Williams is playing in a tournament in Toronto this week to get ready for the U.S. Open, and he will play in Cincinnati the week after that.
