World Tennis Champion, Serena Willaims has retired from active Tennis competition after bowing out of the 2022 US Open following a defeat to Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic in a 7-5, 6-7 (4/7) 6-1 match which lasted for more than three hours.
Serena Williams, now 40 years old, holds the highest number of Grand Slams titles in the world. She won her first Grand Slam title at the age of 17 and has since then won a total of 23 in the span of her 27-year career as an active Tennis player.
In an emotional farewell message at the 2022 US Open, Serena Williams described her journey ever she became professional in 1995 as a fun ride. “It’s been a fun ride. It’s been the most incredible ride and journey I’ve ever been on, I mean, in my life,” Williams said.
She had won an outstanding total of 73 titles in 27 years including 23 Grand Slams. She holds multiple records including winning the most women’s singles titles at the Australian Open (7), the most women’s singles matches won at majors (367) and most singles majors won since turning 30 years old (10), according to Wikipedia.
Serena Williams in a tears-filled interview thanked her parents who coached her and her sister, saying she was very grateful to them because they started everything. She also credited her older sister, Venus Williams, for her success.
“I wouldn’t be Serena if there wasn’t Venus. She’s the only reason Serena Williams ever existed,” she said.
Although Williams has not officially and definitively announced her retirement, she did say in a Vogue magazine essay last month that she would “evolve” away from tennis after the US Open.
In August 2022, she announced her retirement from the Canadian Open after losing to Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic in straight sets. She received a standing ovation to honour her contributions to World Tennis.
“It’s just been so memorable,” Serena told the crowd after the game. “As I said in the article, I’m terrible at goodbyes. But goodbye, Toronto,” she added.
