Serena Williams is getting ready to retire from tennis after an amazing 27-year-long professional career that saw her rise to become one of the greatest players of all time.
The tennis legend put an end to speculation about her future in August by announcing that the “countdown” to her retirement had begun.
She said that her final Grand Slam performance would be at the US Open in New York.
Williams wrote, “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.”
“But now, the countdown has begun. I have to focus on being a mom, my spiritual goals and finally discovering a different but just as exciting Serena, I’m going to relish these next few weeks,” she stated.
This announcement set the tone for Williams’ emotional goodbye to the sport.
Serena Williams defeated Martina Hingis in the 1999 US Open final to win the first of her 23 Grand Slam singles titles.
Williams has built a collection of records that almost certainly will not ever be broken, even though she is unlikely to win a record-equaling 24th Grand Slam singles trophy after next week.
