It’s time to move on – Serena Williams confirms imminent retirement

23-Grand Slam champion Serena Williams has confirmed that she is going to retire after taking part in the upcoming US Open. Williams revealed that she wants to build her family and feels it is time to move on from the sport, which has given her everything in life.

Williams is regarded as one of the best tennis players to have graced the sport and it will be an end of an era. The 40-year-old has had a glorious career as she achieved all which was there in the books.

Williams holds a plethora of records as she was ranked singles World No. 1 by the Women’s Tennis Association for 319 weeks, including a joint-record 186 consecutive weeks, and finished as the year-end No. 1 on five occasions.

Williams has won 23 Grand Slam titles, the most by any player in the Open Era and the second most after Magaret Court, who won 24. She won her first Major title (US Open) in 1999 when she defeated Martina Hingis in straight sets. Her last Slam victory came in the 2017 Australian Open when she bested her elder sister Venus Williams in straight sets.

“There comes a time in life when we have to decide to move in a different direction,” Serena Williams said on Instagram while promoting the new edition of Vogue, of which she is the cover star. “That time is always hard when you love something so much. 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.” “I have never liked the word retirement,” Williams wrote in the Vogue piece itself.

“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.

“I’ve been reluctant to admit that I have to move on from playing tennis. It’s like a taboo topic. It comes up, and I start to cry. I think the only person I’ve really gone there with is my therapist.”

Meanwhile, Serena Williams defeated Nuria Parrizas-Diaz in Round-of-64 in Canadian Open. She will face Belinda Bencic in the next round on Thursday.