Serena Williams Announces Her Retirement From Tennis

On Tuesday, all-time tennis legend Serena Williams said she's retiring from the sport she dominated for decades after the U.S. Open tournament, which begins later this month.

In an essay posted by Vogue, the 40-year-old described her intention to finish her playing career as an “evolution” away from tennis. “I have never liked the word retirement,” she wrote. “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.”

Williams, who has a 4-year-old daughter, Alexis Olympia, explained that one of her biggest reasons for retirement is her intention to further expand her family — other reasons include setting up a venture capitalist company, Serena Ventures, and investing in various organisations.

Hailed as one of the greatest athletes of all time, Williams has 73 career singles titles, 23 career doubles titles and has earned over $94 million in career winnings and much more in endorsements. She said she will retire after the U.S. Open, which will run from late August into September.