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Serena Williams is nearing the conclusion of her illustrious tennis career and has indicated that she will retire soon, possibly following the U.S. Open.
Following her withdrawal from her 2021 Wimbledon first-round match due to a right hamstring tear, Williams missed almost a year of tournament action. Her first singles competition after her break was Wimbledon this year, where she was defeated by Frenchwoman Harmony Tan, who was rated 115th, in the opening round.
Williams is regarded as the best female player of all time despite having won 23 Grand Slam singles titles in her career, one less than Margaret Court’s record of 24. She defeated her sister Venus at the 2017 Australian Open while expecting her daughter Olympia, which was her most recent major victory.
Williams revealed earlier this week that she would not be competing in the Singapore finals of the WTA Tour. She finished her season in the U.S. open for the second year in a row.
Since her return from potentially fatal childbirth in 2017, Williams has finished in second place at four major tournaments, including Wimbledon and the U.S. 2018 and 2019 opening. While eight weeks pregnant, she won her most recent major championship at the 2017 Australian Open.
On Monday, Williams won her opening match at a tournament leading up to the U.S. Open in Toronto. She’s scheduled to compete on Wednesday. Players at the competition, including 18-year-old Coco Gauff, made comments on the news.
At age 17, she won her first major singles championship at the U.S. Open in 1999. The next year, she and her older sister Venus won the first of their three Olympic doubles titles. She also won the gold medal in singles at the 2012 London Olympics.
Williams explained why she has no set intentions to retire to Charlotte Bates of Sky Sports in September: “I can’t sit here and say that would be it because if I’m losing, I’ll find a way to win. Health problems can be difficult. Since Wimbledon, I’ve had a lot of health concerns, which has been incredibly disappointing. It wrecked my Olympics, I told Venus Williams.
As opposed to her childhood buddy Andy Roddick, who shocked many when he unexpectedly announced his retirement at the 2012 U.S. Open, she appears to prefer to wind down.
Through her company Serena Ventures, which declared in March 2022 that it had raised an initial fund of $111 million, Williams has invested in more than 60 firms.
She is emphasizing diversity for her fund, and one of her most recent investments is Karat, which seeks to increase the hiring of Black software professionals.
On Monday, Williams won her first singles match since Roland Garros in 2021, beating Nuria Parrizas 6-3, 6-4 to reach the second round in Toronto.
It marked her first singles win since beating fellow American Danielle Collins in the third round of last year’s French Open.
Ideas do not come into existence on their own. They are decorated with symbols, organizations, things, and laws that collectively reflect and support a compelling story that, over time, permeates society to the point that it is taken for granted. We have forgotten that despite longer lifespans, technological advancements, and changes in the nature of labor, roughly one-third of adult life in the 21st century is defined by a concept that dates back to the 19th century.
Written by Daniel Murillo
Edited by Sheena Robertson
Sources:
Forbes: Serena Williams Serves Up A New Vision Of Life And Retirement
BleacherReport: Serena Williams’ Slow Path Toward Retirement Starting With WTA Finals Withdrawal
Top and Featured Image Courtesy of Boss Tweed’s Flickr page- Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of Jimmy Baikovicius‘ Flickr Page- Creative Commons License