Serena Williams reveals why her daughter Olympia made her consider retirement

Serena Williams, one of the greatest tennis players of all time, has left the world stunned after announcing she will be “evolving away” from the sport.

In her own words, the 23-time Grand Slam champion revealed in an emotional feature for Vogue that the time has come to address the elephant in the room.

Retirement — although Williams dislikes using that term — is something that has been on her mind for a while.

The former world number one stressed she wants to be “sensitive” about this topic and has described it as “a transition” in her life.

“Maybe the best word to describe what I’m up to is evolution,” she wrote. “I’m here to tell you that I’m evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me. A few years ago I quietly started Serena Ventures, a venture capital firm. Soon after that, I started a family. I want to grow that family.”

In the tear-jerking feature, Williams reveals she had something of a penny-drop moment when considering her future with tennis. It was her daughter Olympia who gave her the clarity she was seeking.

“This morning, my daughter, Olympia, who turns five this month, and I were on our way to get her a new passport before a trip to Europe,” Williams began.

“We’re in my car, and she’s holding my phone, using an interactive educational app she likes. This robot voice asks her a question: What do you want to be when you grow up? She doesn’t know I’m listening, but I can hear the answer she whispers into the phone. She says, ‘I want to be a big sister.’

“Olympia says this a lot, even when she knows I’m listening. Sometimes before bed, she prays to Jehovah to bring her a baby sister.

“I’m the youngest of five sisters myself, and my sisters are my heroes, so this has felt like a