His end of career seems near. Without clearly announcing it, Serena Williams hinted that she would soon retire, in a text published by the American magazine vogue (article in English)Tuesday, August 9. “If I have to choose between building my resume as a tennis player or building my family, I will choose the second option”claimed the 40-year-old holder of 23 Grand Slams.
The one who says she doesn’t have “never liked the word ‘retirement'” has, moreover, published an Instagram post leaving little room for doubt. “The countdown has begun, I will savor these few weeks to come”added Serena Williams.
In his text published in vogue, Serena Williams says she wants a second child with her husband. The one who pushed the WTA to introduce maternity leave for professional sportswomen (with 12 protected classification tournaments for maternity, instead of 8, during an absence of more than 52 weeks), specifies however that she does not want “absolutely not be pregnant, again, as an athlete”.
“I need to have both feet in the tennis or both feet out.”
Serena Williams, winner of 23 Grand Slam titlesto “Vogue”
At the birth of her daughter Olympia, in 2017, Serena Williams had contracted a pulmonary embolism, aggravated by her cesarean section, and had been close to death. Back on the courts, barely eight months after giving birth, the champion did not hesitate to reverse the practices by breastfeeding her daughter, including in the middle of the Grand Slam tournament. She then managed to reach the Wimbledon final in 2018, less than a year after giving birth. A tour de force for the one who confides to having suffered postpartum depression.
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Despite her return to the top 10 in the world, the American has since not won a Grand Slam, while reaching three other finals (US Open 2018 and 2019, Wimbledon 2019). She thus remains one length behind Margaret Court’s record (24 titles). “I would be lying if I said I don’t want this record. Of course I do.explains Williams in Vogue. But on a daily basis, I don’t don’t think of her. If I’m in the Grand Slam final, then yes, I’m thinking of this record. Maybe I thought about it too much, and it didn’t help me. In my opinion I should have had 30 Grand Slam tournaments. (…) But I did not succeed. (…) But I won 23 times, and that’s fine. In fact, it’s even extraordinary.”
The native of Saginaw (Michigan) ends her text by addressing her fans: “I’m not good at saying goodbye, I’m the worst in the world. But please know that I’m more grateful to you than I can ever express. (…) I will miss you.”
This announcement comes as the American is expected to take part in the US Open, scheduled from August 29 to September 11. The New York tournament, where she triumphed six times, could thus be the scene of her farewell. “I don’t know if I’ll be ready to win in New York. But I’ll try”, she assures. She seems on the right track: Williams won her first match in 430 days at the WTA 1000 tournament in Toronto (Canada) on Monday.