Although she says she doesn’t like the word “retirement,” tennis star Serena Williams described that’s exactly what she will be doing after the U.S. Open.
The 40-year-old shared the news in an essay with Vogue on Tuesday—saying it’s time to move on and focus on other challenges — raising a family and business ventures off the court.
“I’m terrible at goodbyes, the world’s worst,” Williams said. “But please know that I am more grateful for you than I can ever express in words. You have carried me to so many wins and so many trophies.”
She added, “I’m going to miss that version of me, that girl who played tennis. And I’m going to miss you.”
Serena currently has 23 individual Grand Slams, 73 career singles titles, and 14 in doubles alongside her sister, Venus Williams. She won her most recent singles title while two months pregnant in 2017.
Not only is Serena one of the best to dominate the tennis court, but she is also said to be the highest-earning female athlete of all time with a $45.3 million net worth.
Serena and Venus have built their careers together on and off the court. In 2009, the sisters became minority owners of the Miami Dolphins, making them the first black women to hold any ownership of an NFL team. They are also executive producers of the film, “King Richard,” which told the story of their father and how he guided them in their tennis careers.
Serena has a few ventures of her own. She is one of the owners of the Angel City FC soccer team … and earlier this year, she also committed millions in hopes of helping a big buy for Chelsea FC in London.
Recently, Williams started Serena Ventures, which raised $111 million in outside funding this year.
Serena, who is the mother of almost 5-year-old Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. and the wife of Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, said she would like to have more children someday.
“In the last year, Alexis and I have been trying to have another child, and we recently got some information from my doctor that put my mind at ease and made me feel that whenever we’re ready, we can add to our family,” Serena shared. “I definitely don’t want to be pregnant again as an athlete. I need to be two feet into tennis or two feet out.”
