Serena Williams hints at retirement, likely to hang up boots after US Open

Serena Williams has hinted that she might retire from tennis soon, after winning her first singles match in over a year. Serena picked up her first victory since the 2021 French Open on Monday, beating Nuria Parrizas-Diaz 6-3, 6-4 at the women’s National Bank Open.

It’s just the second tournament of the season for the 40-year-old Williams, who returned to competition at Wimbledon just over a month ago. Speaking after her win, Serena hinted that her return to the tour may be a short one.

“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.

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— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) August 9, 2022

“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.”

A further hint that both Williams sisters were set to retire was dropped by the tournament’s chief Karl Hale after the director revealed this year’s outing was set to be their final Canadian Open. He said: “The two of them have a really special place with me and I have a very close relationship with them.

Williams, who will turn 41 at the end of September, will next face either 12th-ranked Belinda Bencic or Tereza Martincova.

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