Serena Williams steps back from tennis to enjoy the home court

Former world number one Serena Williams has stated that she retired from professional tennis because she wanted to spend more time with her family. The 42-year-old is often regarded as the greatest player in the history of women’s tennis in the Open era, having won as many as 23 Grand Slam titles.

Serena was recently quoted in a report in which she stated that she retired from the sport to spend some time with her family. She also stated that her decision was not based on her struggling with fitness concerns.

"I always say the reason I stopped was not because of injury. It was because I wanted to have a family," said Williams. “And that was a very hard decision to have to make when you know you can still play and perform at a very high level, and then have to say no [to that part of yourself], because you want to have a future and leave a mark.”

Serena ended her professional career in September 2022. Her most successful competitions was the Australian Open and Wimbledon where she lifted the title seven times each. Her first major title was the US Open in 1999 as she defeated the former world number one Switzerland’s Martina Hingis in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 7-6.

Serena’s last major triumph came in 2017 when she lifted the Australian Open after beating her sister Venus Williams in the final in straight sets with a score of 6-4, 6-4. That’s not it, as Serena also won four gold medals for her country in the Olympics. Three came in the doubles category, whereas one came in the singles category. In 2012, Serena defeated the former world number one Russia’s Maria Sharapova in straight sets with a score of 6-0, 6-1 and won a gold medal for her country in the singles category.