Serena Williams has confirmed she will retire from tennis after a career that saw her win 23 Grand Slam singles titles.
The 40-year-old broke the news in an article for Vogue published on Tuesday.
“I’ve never liked the word retirement,” Williams wrote. “Maybe the best word to describe what I’m doing is evolution. I’m here to tell you that I’m evolving away from tennis, towards other things that are important to me.”
Williams said her decision had been influenced by a desire to expand her family. She gave birth to her first child, Olympia, in 2017.
“I never wanted to have to choose between tennis and a family. I don’t think it’s fair,” Williams wrote. “If I were a guy, I wouldn’t be writing this because I’d be playing and winning while my wife did the physical work of growing our family.”
In the article, Williams suggested that her final tournament will be the US Open, which starts later this month and runs through early September.
“Unfortunately, I was not ready to win Wimbledon this year,” she wrote. “And I don’t know if I’ll be ready to win New York. But I’ll try. And the pre-tournaments will be fun. I know there’s a fan fantasy that could have tied it to Margaret [Court’s grand slam record] that day in London, he may have broken his record in New York, and then at the trophy ceremony to say: “See you!” I understand that. It’s a good fantasy. But I’m not looking for a ceremonial, final moment on the court. I’m terrible at goodbyes, the worst in the world.”
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Williams and her sister Venus burst onto the teen tennis scene, shaking up what had been a traditionally white sport. Between them, they won 30 Grand Slam singles titles. They also combined to win 14 major doubles titles. Serena won her last Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in 2017. She has struggled with injuries in recent years and was defeated in the first round of Wimbledon this summer by Harmony Tan.