Serena Williams, 23-time Grand Slam champion, posed on the cover of the new issue of Vogue, announcing that the US Open will likely be the last of her career. By the way, the athlete will turn 41 in September this year. Now the star, together with her husband Alexis Ohanyan, is raising her daughter Olympia, born in 2017.
“My daughter Olympia and I were in the car today, playing one of her favorite educational apps on my phone. A robotic voice asked him, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” she asked. She thought I couldn’t hear it, but I heard her whisper that I want to be a sister.
Believe me, I never wanted to choose between family and tennis. I think it’s unfair. If I were a man, I probably wouldn’t have written this because I would have kept playing and winning while my wife was interested in expanding our family. Maybe I’d be like Tom Brady. Don’t get me wrong, I love being a woman, I loved being pregnant with our Olympia. And I did the near impossible. Not many people understand or know that I was two months pregnant when I won the Australian Open in 2017. But as I turn 41 this month, it’s time to change things up.
Although this topic seems like a taboo for me, I have to admit that it’s time to finish with tennis. I start crying when this topic comes up. I never liked the word “retirement”, it’s an outdated word. I like “transition” better, but I want to use the word sparingly as it means something special and important to some people. Probably the best word to describe what happened to me is evolution. I quit tennis and move on to more important things. A few years ago, I quietly opened a venture capital firm, Serena Ventures, and soon started a family. And I want my family to be bigger.
For a year my husband Alexis and I have been trying to have another child. A doctor recently told us that we can have a family member whenever we are ready. I definitely don’t want to get pregnant again while continuing my professional career. In tennis, I’m either 100 percent or I’m not.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t ready to win Wimbledon this year. I don’t know if I’m ready to win in New York, but I’ll try. Tournaments before the US Open will be great. But I don’t expect a serious final moment on the field. I’m terrible at saying goodbye, but I want to say thank you all more than I can put into words. You have led me to many victories and many trophies. I’m really going to miss my old self, the girl who played tennis. And I will miss you,” Williams wrote in an open letter to Vogue.
Source: People Talk
Lloyd Grunewald is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. He is a talented writer who focuses on bringing the latest entertainment-related news to his readers. With a deep understanding of the entertainment industry and a passion for writing, Lloyd delivers engaging articles that keep his readers informed and entertained.
