Guest Editorial: Serena Williams is ready to ‘evolve,’ not retire

Tennis icon Serena Williams sits with her daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., on Feb. 8, 2020, at a match in Everett, Wash. —AP Photo/Elaine Thompson/File Powerful. Intense. Passionate. Resilient. Gritty. These are all words that have been used to define the pop culture tennis icon Serena Williams. She has inspired Black girls around the world … Continued The post Guest Editorial: Serena Williams is ready to ‘evolve,’ not retire appeared first on New Pittsburgh Courier.

Guest Editorial: Serena Williams is ready to ‘evolve,’ not retire

Tennis icon Serena Williams sits with her daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., on Feb. 8, 2020, at a match in Everett, Wash. —AP Photo/Elaine Thompson/File

Powerful. Intense. Passionate. Resilient. Gritty.

These are all words that have been used to define the pop culture tennis icon Serena Williams. She has inspired Black girls around the world to follow in her fast footsteps on the court.

She is a trailblazing athlete, a fashion maker, a venture capitalist — but above all else, she’s a mother. So this week, the 40-year-old Williams announced she will retire. Though she won’t claim the word “retirement” and prefers to say that she is “evolving.”

“Believe me, I never wanted to have to choose between tennis and a family. I don’t think it’s fair. If I were a guy, I wouldn’t be writing this because I’d be out there playing and winning while my wife was doing the physical labor of expanding our family,” she said. “Maybe I’d be more of a Tom Brady if I had that opportunity. … I’m turning 41 this month, and something’s got to give.”

She said Aug. 9 that she will look beyond the sport in which she has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles and four Olympic gold medals so that she can focus on motherhood. Her choice is not dissimilar to that of many other professional women.

Williams, who has been on the professional circuit since 1995, has also been clear about her desire to have a second child. Since undergoing almost-fatal complications after the birth of her first child Olympia, having another child is not an easy proposition. Williams has therefore decided not to attempt to combine the rigors of professional tennis with pregnancy this time around.

“I definitely don’t want to be pregnant again as an athlete,” she said. “I need to be two feet into tennis or two feet out.”

She and her older sister Venus started out with tough in-house coaching by their parents, Richard Williams and Oracene Price, in Compton, California, and now are stars on the international stage of an exclusive sport.

At 17 years old, Serena became the first Black player since Arthur Ashe in 1975 to win a Grand Slam singles title and the first Black woman to win in a Grand Slam event since Althea Gibson in 1958.

Williams said she will leave tennis after playing the U.S. Open later this month.

Other top tennis players reacted to this week’s news of her retirement. Atlanta native and French Open runner-up Coco Grauff said, “The legacy that she’s left through her tennis career is something that I don’t think any other player can probably touch. I think that the legacy that she will continue to leave throughout her life is something that can inspire many more generations.”

And former men’s No. 1 player John McEnroe said, “She should do whatever she wants. She’s an icon. Her place in American society has gone to a place where she deserves it after everything she’s accomplished, everything she’s done. … I don’t think she needs to play again. She’s in that level where Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Tom Brady are.”

Whether she had the crowd completely behind her at various international matches, drew gasps with her innovative court fashion or was embroiled in linesmen disputes for her fierce level of play — especially fair play — Williams drew multitudes to watch, learn and appreciate tennis.

Her appearance in the U.S. Open final in 2018 drew more than 3 million viewers, 50% more than the men’s finals. And the news of her leaving the court is expected to boost ratings for ESPN’s upcoming U.S. Open coverage.

So just as she came in like gang-busters on the tennis court, Serena is expected to leave the sport with millions watching her and once again prove her greatness. Let’s be sure to tune in and stay tuned in for what’s next for Serena and tennis.

(Reprinted from The Philadelphia Tribune)

 

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