Serena Williams, the US tennis champion, announced on Tuesday that “the countdown has begun” to her retirement from the sport.
Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam champion, added that the time has come in her life for her to take a different path.
In an Instagram post, the 40-year-old stated that she must prioritise being a mother while also pursuing spiritual growth.
She 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. 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.”
In an exclusive piece in Vogue magazine, Williams noted that she had never liked the word ‘retirement’ but would rather go with the word ‘evolution’.
She said, “I have never liked the word retirement. 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.”