Serena Williams announces retirement from tennis after U.S. Open

Serena Williams will retire from tennis some time after the U.S. Open that starts in three weeks.

“I have never liked the word retirement,” she wrote in a Vogue article. “It doesn’t feel like a modern word to me. I’ve been thinking of this as a transition, but I want to be sensitive about how I use that word, which means something very specific and important to a community of people. Maybe the best word to describe what I’m up to is evolution. I’m here to tell you that I’m evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me.

“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. I’m gonna relish these next few weeks.”

Williams, 40, did not write specifically in the article that the U.S. Open will be her last tournament, but all signs point to it at least being her last major. Williams owns 23 Grand Slam singles titles, one shy of Margaret Court‘s record. Court won many of her 24 Slams before all of the world’s best players gathered for each of the four majors.

“There are people who say I’m not the GOAT because I didn’t pass Margaret Court’s record of 24 grand slam titles, which she achieved before the ‘open era’ that began in 1968,” Williams wrote. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want that record. Obviously I do. But day to day, I’m really not thinking about her.”

Williams went nearly a year between tournament play after withdrawing from her 2021 Wimbledon first-round match due to injury. Her first singles tournament back was this year’s