Serena Williams' emotional retirement at the 2022 US Open closed the curtain on a once-in-a-generation career.
Throughout her playing days, which lasted over 20 years, Williams won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, and she is regarded as one of the best-ever tennis players of all time. Yet, like all of the sporting greats, the time eventually comes to make way, and this moment arose for Serena at Flushing Meadows last season when she lost against Ajla Tomljanovic in the US Open third round.
Bidding farewell to a home crowd in New York was a fitting send-off for the tennis icon. But after all the intense ups and downs of a star-studded career, Williams' retirement has brought about new challenges and opportunities from motherhood to sports investments.
Family
One of Williams' main reasons for retirement last September was so she could spend more time with her family. The 41-year-old already had her first daughter Olympia with partner Alexis Ohanian in 2017. But Williams also recently announced the birth of her second child on TikTok, Adira River, born in August 2023.
Williams and Ohanian officially shared the pregnancy news at the 2023 Met Gala as the former WTA star showcased her bump through a glitzy Gucci dress. Fans and pundits were quick to react on the internet as Williams prepared for a new stage of parenthood.
Generally, Williams has been very open publicly about her family life and some of the difficulties that come with being a parent. Now a mother of two, it is likely that fans will see more social media images and videos, including both Olympia and Adria River.
Investments and Media
As a global sports superstar and icon, Williams' retirement opportunities for business ventures and media appearances would never be in short supply. On the business front, Serena has been involved in some sports-related initiatives, which surprisingly weren't based around tennis.
Williams, with her sister Venus, invested in Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy's golf league, the TGL League. The golf competition is a league made up of six teams, and the Williams sisters, along with Serena's husband Ohanian, bought into one of the teams.
Beyond sports, Williams has been involved in several personal and public media enterprises. In April the 23-time Grand Slam champion created and launched her own multimedia business, 926 Productions, which focuses on providing media and broadcasting opportunities to females from diverse backgrounds.
Moreover, Williams has teased a personal media and content creation project via her own YouTube channel. The former tennis star shared plans earlier in 2023 about creating and posting regular content on her channel, which documents her behind-the-scenes trials and tribulations of being a mother of two.
Religion
Throughout her trophy-laden tennis career, Williams was open about the importance of religion in her life. The former world number one previously shared that faith is important to her, but that she never committed or practiced the teachings of being a Jehovah's Witness.
However, perhaps with more time to attend church and to become more involved with the religion, Willimas was baptised as a Jehovah's Witness in January 2023 at the Assembly in West Palm.
Is Williams' Retirement Permanent?
Despite finding her eventual retirement "harder than I ever imagined", Williams has developed her personal, business and sporting interests away from the court. Yet, consistent questions remain about whether the former world number one will make a remarkable comeback to tennis in the future.
At times, Serena has been seen supporting her sister Venus at various competitions throughout the season. Despite being two years older than her younger sister, Venus continues to compete in the WTA.
However, after the birth of her second child, it now appears increasingly unlikely that Serena will head back onto the court anytime soon. At present, Williams' retirement seems to be going positively, and the mother of two appears committed to her family and business ventures rather than winning Grand Slams.
0 Comments