"Someone came up to me and said I retired too early…": Serena Williams discloses recent encounter with a fan at a book store

Serena Williams commented that an individual told her that she retired from tennis too soon.

The American legend announced her definitive retirement from the courts last year at the age of 40 at the 2022 US Open. As expected, Serena Williams delivered a great performance at the Arthur Ashe Stadium and achieved two victories before her final elimination at the hands of Ajla Tomljanovic.

Serena Williams fought hard in a three-set battle against the Australian player in what turned out to be her final match on the WTA tour.

In the first round, she defeated Danka Kovinic 6-3, 6-3, but even more impressive was her second-round match, where the younger Williams sister defeated world No. 2 Anett Kontaveit 7-6, 2-6, 6-2.

Serena also had her farewell in doubles, alongside her sister Venus, but they were defeated in the first round by Czech players Linda Noskova and Lucie Hradecka.

The former world No. 1 commented on social media that a fan told her she retired too soon from tennis.

"I was at a book store the other day and someone came up to me and said I retired too early…" Serena Williams tweeted.

In her 24-year career, Williams won 23 Grand Slam titles in singles and 14 in women's doubles (all alongside her sister Venus), as well as two in mixed doubles with Max Mirnyi. She is also the third tennis player with the most weeks at world No. 1, with 319 weeks, behind Steffi Graf with 377 weeks and Martina Navratilova with 332 weeks.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion recently announced that she and her husband Alexis Ohanian are expecting their second child. Their eldest daughter Olympia was born in 2017, the same year Serena Williams won her last Grand Slam title, the Australian Open, while she was eight weeks pregnant.