Serena Williams has announced her upcoming retirement from tennis.
For the first time in over a year, the 23-time Grand Slam winner won a singles match at the National Bank Open in Toronto on Monday. But has told Vogue that she is now “evolving away” from the sport.
The 40-year-old won her last Grand Slam crown in 2017 and has been chasing an elusive 24th crown that will draw her level with Margaret Court who holds the record for most majors.
"I have never liked the word retirement," Williams wrote in a Vogue article.
"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.
"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.
"A few years ago I quietly started Serena Ventures, a venture capital firm. Soon after that, I started a family. I want to grow that family."
Williams later talked in an Instagram post about the time to move in a "different direction."
"That time is always hard when you love something so much," she added. "My goodness do I enjoy tennis.
"But now, the countdown has begun. I have to focus on being a mom, my spiritual goals and finally discovering a different, but just exciting Serena. I’m gonna relish these next few weeks."
