“I’m going to miss that version of me, that girl who played tennis. And I’m going to miss you,” the all-time great wrote in Vogue.
All-time tennis great Serena Williams on Tuesday said she’s walking away from the sport after the U.S. Open, writing that she’s in the midst of a “transition” from the court.
In an essay posted by Vogue, Williams said she has “never liked the word retirement” and that it “doesn’t feel like a modern word to me.”
However, she said in no uncertain terms that she’s about to leave the sport she’s dominated for decades.
“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,” she added.
“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.”
‘Something’s got to give’
Williams, who has a 4-year-old daughter, hinted that she wants to grow her family — while also bemoaning the societal pressures heaped on women.
Female athletes don’t get the chance to be like quarterback Tom Brady, who just turned 45 and is still an elite player, according to Williams.
“Believe me, I never wanted to have to choose between tennis and a family. I don’t think it’s fair,” she wrote. “If I were a guy, I wouldn’t be writing this because I’d be out there playing and winning while my wife was doing the physical labor of expanding our family. Maybe I’d be more of a Tom Brady if I had that opportunity.”
She added: “But I’m turning 41 this month, and something’s got to give.”
A reluctance to admit it’s time to move on
Williams wrote that she leaned on the advice of her friend and all-time golf great Tiger Woods before coming to this decision.
“He said, ‘Serena, what if you just gave it two weeks? You don’t have to commit to anything. You just go out on the court every day for two weeks and give it your all and see what happens,'” she wrote.
Leaving the sport she loves is no easy task, she wrote, explaining the mere thought of hanging up her racket is a tearful subject.
“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,” according to Williams.
“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.”
Williams’ essay dropped a day after she won a match for the first time this year, beating Nuria Parrizas-Diaz 6-3, 6-4 at the women’s National Bank Open in Toronto.
Relishing ‘these next few weeks’
Her career has been marked by a competitive fire that’s occasionally landed her in hot water. But in many more instances, her on-court appearances have ended in ballet-like, celebratory twirls or lifts of major trophies.
-NBCnews
