'The countdown has begun' - Serena Williams confirms retirement from tennis likely after the 2022 US Open

Serena Williams has seemingly confirmed her upcoming retirement from tennis. The 23-time Grand Slam champion said after her first-round win at the Canadian Open – her first singles victory in 14 months – that she sees a “light at the end of the tunnel”. Ad In an interview with Vogue released hours after the match she has revealed that as she turns 41 in September “something’s got to give” and she is hoping to have another child.

WTA Toronto'Super happy' Fernandez feeling 'amazing' after winning return in Toronto4 HOURS AGO “I have never liked the word retirement,” she wrote. “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. 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. But I’ve been reluctant to admit to myself or anyone else that I have to move on from playing tennis.

“Alexis, my husband, and I have hardly talked about it; it’s like a taboo topic. I can’t even have this conversation with my mom and dad. It’s like it’s not real until you say it out loud.

It comes up, I get an uncomfortable lump in my throat, and I start to cry. The only person I’ve really gone there with is my therapist! “One thing I’m not going to do is sugarcoat this. I know that a lot of people are excited about and look forward to retiring, and I really wish I felt that way.