Serena Williams will be retiring from tennis after the US Open

Tennis star Serena Williams has announced that she will be retiring from tennis after this summer’s U.S. Open.

Williams announced her plan earlier today through Vogue magazine’s website, stating that she was reluctant to admit that she had to move on from playing tennis and calling it “a taboo topic.”

“There is no happiness in this topic for me… I feel a great deal of pain,” Williams said.

Serena Williams with daughter Alexis Olympia in her September 2022 cover spread for Vogue.

The tennis star admitted that she had been considering retirement for a while, though she only discussed it in sessions with her therapist. Now, however, she feels ready to “evolve” away from tennis and focus on her venture capital firm Serena Ventures, and growing her family.

“I’m turning 41…” Williams stated. “Something’s got to give.”

Serena Williams competing in Australia in 2014.

On Instagram, Williams wrote in a post about her article in Vogue, “There comes a time in life when we have to decide to move in a different direction. That time is always hard when you love something so much. My goodness do I enjoy tennis. But now, the countdown has begun.”

“I have to focus on being a mom, my spiritual goals and finally discovering a different, but just exciting Serena,” the tennis star wrote. “I’m gonna relish these next few weeks.”

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In regards to the legacy she has made for herself, Williams stated in Vogue that she doesn’t like to think about it.

“I’d like to think that thanks to opportunities afforded to me, women athletes feel that they can be themselves on the court. They can play with aggression and pump their fists. They can be strong yet beautiful. They can wear what they want and say what they want and kick butt and be proud of it all,” Williams said. “I’d like to think that I went through some hard times as a professional tennis player so that the next generation could have it easier.”

Despite this, Williams stated, “I hope that people come to think of me as symbolizing something bigger than tennis.”

The 23-time Grand Slam winner will play at the Canadian Open in Toronto this week. Williams will later compete in the U.S. Open in New York for the last time, with the event beginning on August 29.