After 27 years of focusing on tennis, the career of an all-time great has come to an end. Serena Williams, who is known as one of the greatest tennis players of all time, has recently made the decision to retire. Over the years, she has had remarkable and outstanding success. Throughout her time, Williams achieved twenty-three Grand Slam Titles, four Olympic Gold Medals, and she held the number 1 ranking for a grand total of 319 weeks. Even after the birth of her daughter in 2017, Williams still continued her tennis career. In a speech she gave after her last match, she mentioned how she is taking time away from tennis to focus more on her life back at home, stating, “I’m here to tell you that I’m evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me.”
Her family is the main reason why she is stepping away from the sport, as she has talked about how her 4-year-old daughter, Olympia, wants to be a big sister. Williams has talked about the difficulty of trying to manage tennis and motherhood in the past, as she said in an interview with CNN, “Believe me, I never wanted to have to choose between tennis and family. I don’t think it’s fair.” Her retirement does not come as a shock to the sports world,but it is still a difficult pill to swallow.
Many people look up to Williams and her dominance on the court, including Naomi Osaka, who stated that she would not be playing tennis if it was not for Williams. As many have clearly expressed, she has been an inspiration to people of all ages both on and off the court. Her pure talent, determination, and dedication to the sport prove that she is truly one of the greatest athletes of all time. Even though she is retiring, her legacy will continue as one of the strongest female role models to many people around the world.