5 takeaways from Serena Williams' emotional farewell message
Serena Williams rocked the tennis world into an emotional state in a heartfelt letter that outlined her retirement plans on Tuesday. The American superstar penned down an honest expression of her decision in the latest issue of Vogue magazine.
Williams, who looks set to bid farewell at the upcoming US Open, made the announcement just a day after registering her first WTA win since turning 40, in the first round of the 2022 Canadian Open.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion recently expressed how her life has changed over the last few years. She now plays the role of a mother, an entrepreneur, and a tennis player, all at once, and is equally excited about all three. Feeling the need to let go of one of those roles to bolster the other two, it is tennis that Williams is putting on the back burner.
In light of her retirement announcement, we look at the five biggest takeaways from the American's emotional farewell message.
#1. Serena Williams is not ready to retire, terms it as "hardest thing that I could ever imagine"
Williams expressed her feelings about retirement as clearly as one could. In her statement, she said that the mere thought of leaving tennis behind makes her cry and she is unable to have the conversation even with her husband and her parents.
The American feels a great deal of pain to say goodbye to the sport that has been her "whole life" up to now.
"It’s like a taboo topic. I can’t even have this conversation with my mom and dad. It’s like it’s not real until you say it out loud. It comes up, I get an uncomfortable lump in my throat, and I start to cry," Williams said in her Vogue column.
She referenced the retirement decisions of Ashleigh Barty and Caroline Wozniacki and how they were ready and relieved to retire. After a professional career spanning nearly 27 years, Williams does not feel the same way and 'hates' that she has to retire.
"There is no happiness in this topic for me. I know it’s not the usual thing to say, but I feel a great deal of pain. It’s the hardest thing that I could ever imagine. I hate it. I hate that I have to be at this crossroads. I keep saying to myself, I wish it could be easy for me, but it’s not. I’m torn," she said further.
Having said that, Williams admitted that she is ready for the next chapter of her life.
#2. The road ahead - Serena Williams wants to grow her family and focus on her business
Williams explained how her life revolves around her daughter Olympia, who will turn five this year. The American tennis legend also revealed that she and her husband Alexis Ohanian are now planning to grow their family, with Olympia hoping for a little sister.
Along with focusing on her family, Williams is also very keen to further expand her venture capital firm 'Serena Ventures' and promote the ideas on which it was built. She has been vocal about the importance of promoting diversity in business with Serena Ventures and will give her venture more time.
#3. Serena Williams reveals how Venus Williams impacted her development in tennis
The American also reflected on her early years as a tennis player, stressing that she was "not very good at tennis." The younger of the Williams sisters, Serena said she was sad to not get the opportunities her sister Venus Williams did when they were young, but that helped her work harder and become a "savage fighter".
She expressed how watching Venus Williams play, and particularly her losses, in turn, helped her develop as a tennis player.
"I followed her (Venus) around the world and watched her. When she lost, I understood why, and I made sure I wouldn’t lose the same way. That’s how I started to move so fast up the rankings, because I learned the lessons from Venus’s losses instead of the hard way, from my own. It was as if I were playing her matches, too," Williams said on the same.
@TennisONEApp) No favors at practice between Venus and Serena Williams in Washington
(🎥 @TennisONEApp)
https://t.co/yapntdfoGt
#4. Serena Williams feels she should have won 30-plus Grand Slam titles
Serena Williams has been stranded at 23 Grand Slams, one short of Margaret Court's all-time record for most Grand Slam singles titles, since early 2017. She said that she has always wanted to break the record, admitting that 'thinking about it too much' has worked against her over the last few years.
Williams believes she could and should have won more than 30 Majors, and that she had her chances after making a comeback post-childbirth, despite the challenges she faced.
"The way I see it, I should have had 30-plus grand slams. I had my chances after coming back from giving birth," Williams said.
While she is content with her efforts to win 23 Majors, she has one final chance to tie Court's record at the 2022 US Open.
39 Grand Slam titles (23 singles, 14 doubles, 2 mixed doubles)
Serena Williams’ resume is unlike any other 🏆
▪️ 39 Grand Slam titles (23 singles, 14 doubles, 2 mixed doubles)
▪️ 73 singles titles, 23 doubles titles
▪️ 4 Olympic gold medals
▪️ 319 weeks ranked No. 1 https://t.co/GyaI7i14re
#5. A Conversation with Tiger Woods motivated Serena Williams to make a comeback this year
Williams had not played a single match since 2021 Wimbledon and for the better part of the 2022 season, there was no clarity about her comeback. She announced shortly before Wimbledon this year that she is returning to the tour.
However, the comeback plan was not always on the cards. Williams revealed that a conversation with golf legend and her good friend Tiger Woods a few months ago played a huge role in her comeback.
She asked Woods for advice on her career as she considered retirement even before her comeback at Wimbledon.
"He’s Tiger, and he was adamant that I be a beast the same way he is! He said, “Serena, what if you just gave it two weeks? You don’t have to commit to anything. You just go out on the court every day for two weeks and give it your all and see what happens," Williams said, looking back at the conversation.
She put Woods' plan into action and eventually learned that she still had what it took to play at the highest level until at least the 2022 US Open.