Serena Williams announces retirement from tennis

Serena Williams, the American tennis star, says she will retire from tennis after playing in the US Open beginning later this month.

The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion revealed her retirement plan in a chat with Vogue on Tuesday.

The 40-year-old said she is “evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me.”

Williams also said she is looking to spend more time with Olympia, her daughter, and Alexis Ohanian, her husband, following a glittering globe-trotting career.

“I have never liked the word retirement. It doesn’t feel like a modern word to me. 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,” Serena said.

“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.

“I’ve been reluctant to admit that I have to move on from playing tennis. It’s like a taboo topic. It comes up, and I start to cry. I think the only person I’ve really gone there with is my therapist.”

“Unfortunately I wasn’t ready to win Wimbledon this year. And I don’t know if I will be ready to win New York. But I’m going to try. And the lead-up tournaments will be fun.

“I know there’s a fan fantasy that I might have tied Margaret that day in London, then maybe beat her record in New York, and then at the trophy ceremony say, ‘See ya!’, I get that. It’s a good fantasy. But I’m not looking for some ceremonial, final on-court moment. I’m terrible at goodbyes, the world’s worst.”