One of the greatest professional athletes of all time has decided to call it a career after one final tournament.
Professional tennis player Serena Williams announced she will retire following the 2022 US Open, which begins Aug. 29.
Williams cited multiple reasons for her retirement — though she prefers the phrase “evolve away from” — including wanting to have another child without having to be an athlete at the same time.
“In the last year, Alexis (my husband) and I have been trying to have another child, and we recently got some information from my doctor that put my mind at ease and made me feel that whenever we’re ready, we can add to our family,” Williams wrote for Vogue, published Tuesday. “I definitely don’t want to be pregnant again as an athlete. I need to be two feet into tennis or two feet out.”
The 41-year-old all-time great also cited her growing interest in her company, Serena Ventures, as a reason to move on to carve out a new path.
“In my own life, the balance has been slowly shifting toward Serena Ventures,” Williams wrote. “I always say that I’m a sponge: At night I go to bed and I squeeze myself out so that the next day I can take up as much new information as I can. Every morning, I’m so excited to walk downstairs to my office and jump onto Zooms and start reviewing decks of companies we’re considering investing in.”
Williams has 23 Grand Slam championships and will aim for one more before “evolving” into other ventures. After her last hurrah, her focus will shift toward her family and business.
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