Serena Williams announces retirement from tennis in Vogue: will she compete in the 2022 US Open?
The sporting icon has racked up 23 career Open titles and confirmed she will hang up her racquet later this year.
Tennis legend and holder of the record for most Open Championship titles Serena Williams has announced her retirement from the sport. The 40-year-old penned an article in Vogue explaining her decision to step away from the sport she dominated for more than a decade and the effect that her astonishing career has had on her personal life.
“I have never liked the word retirement,” she wrote. “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.”
However she will have one last hurrah in her home tournament, confirming that she intends to retire after the 2022 US Open to be held form late August to September. If she were to succeed in Queens, by which time she will be 41, she will tie the record for most Grand Slam titles in tennis history.
“I don’t know if I will be ready to win New York. But I’m going to try,” Williams wrote.
Which woman has the most Grand Slam titles of all time?
Williams is frequently listed as one of the greatest athletes of all time and a sportsperson who redefined the standards of greatness in her chosen field. Across her glittering career she picked up 73 career singles titles, as well as 23 career doubles titles, and banked more than $94 million in winnings.
In the article she wrote for Vogue, Williams referenced the fact that she has not quite surpassed the record-holder of the most grand slam titles in tennis history. That accolade goes to Margaret Court, who notched up 24 grand slam titles, but did so before the introduction of the Open competitions that are now the benchmark for tennis’ elite competitors.
“There are people who say I’m not the GOAT because I didn’t pass Margaret Court’s record of 24 grand slam titles, which she achieved before the ‘open era’ that began in 1968,” reads Williams’ Vogue article. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want that record.”
However beyond the search of a historic 24th title, Williams’ ambitions now go beyond the confines of the tennis court. In the article she explains that she is looking forward to “being a mom, my spiritual goals and finally discovering a different.”
Her venture capitalist firm, Serena Ventures, is looking to expand and its eponymous leader intends to continue to take a hands-on role. This year alone the company has secured $111 million in outside financing and Williams hopes to offer investment to women who may not otherwise receive the support required.