Tennis star Serena Williams announced that the “countdown” to her retirement was “on” on Tuesday on Instagram and in an interview with “Vogue” magazine. “I will savor the next few weeks,” added the former world number 1, without specifying the exact date of her retirement.
Tennis star Serena Williams announced that the “countdown” to her retirement was “on” on Tuesday on Instagram and in an interview with the magazine vogue. “There is a time in life when you have to decide to take a new path. It’s always a difficult moment when you love what you do so much. And God I love tennis. But now the count is the countdown is on,” explained the 40-year-old American, holder of 23 Grand Slam titles, saying she wants to “focus on her role as a mom, her spiritual goals to discover a new but equally exciting Serena”.
No exact date announced
“I will savor the next few weeks,” added the youngest of the Williams sisters, without specifying the exact date of her retirement. Monday, Serena Williams had won her first victory in over a year at the WTA 1000 tournament in Toronto, less than three weeks before the start of the US Open where she is on the entry list.
The American, who will celebrate her 41st birthday on September 26, won with courage against the Spaniard Nuria Parrizas-Diaz (N.57) in two sets (6-3, 6-4) at the end of a match. disputed, winning his first success of the year 2022. His last singles victory on the circuit dates back to June 4, 2021 and his victorious 3rd round at Roland-Garros, a few weeks before withdrawing at the start of the first round of Wimbledon due to of a leg injury.
A race for the 24th Grand Slam title
She was then absent for almost a year, only making her return to singles at the end of June at Wimbledon 2022 … where she was beaten at the start by the Frenchwoman Harmony Tan. Seven-time Major champion on grass and ex-undisputed world number 1, Serena Williams has now fallen to 407th place in the world.
Her last Grand Slam title dates back more than 5 years, at the 2017 Australian Open. She has since been running in vain behind a 24th title that would allow her to equal Margaret Court’s record.