Serena Williams defeated world 57 ranked Nuria Párrizas Díaz 6-3, 6-4 at the Canadian Open in Toronto to finally have some success after a year of none within tennis singles. Following her victory, Williams dropped a big hint that her retirement might be coming earlier than anyone had thought.
When asked in Canada about her motivation to continue playing she told reporters, “I guess there’s just a light at the end of the tunnel. I don’t know, I’m getting closer to the light. Lately that’s been it for me. I can’t wait to get to that light.”
When further pressed on what the light represented by reporters she responded, “Freedom. I love playing though, so it’s amazing. But I can’t do this forever. So sometimes you just want to try your best to enjoy the moments and do the best that you can.”
Williams still showed positive emotions towards her win earlier saying she was happy to have a win. She went on to say, “Physically I feel much better in practice, it’s just getting that to the court. But literally I’m the kind of person who it just takes one or two things and then it clicks. So I’m just waiting on that to click.”
Serena Williams is arguably one of the best athletes this world has ever seen, and the fact that she can even play at this level at 40 is a testament to her athleticism and durability. Her long list of accomplishments speaks for itself. It would take multiple posts to list them all… but here’s the highlights.
At the 1999 US Open, became the second African-American woman to win a Grand Slam title at 17 years old
By winning the 2003 Australian Open, became the fifth woman to hold all four Grand Slam singles titles simultaneously.
By winning the 2003 Australian Open, became the first African-American to win the championship.
By winning the 2003 Australian Open, she became the sixth player to win a Career Grand Slam.
First woman to win US $6,000,000 in prize money in a single year: 2009.
First, and only, woman to win US $12,000,000 in prize money in a single year: 2013
First, and only, woman to win US$90,000,000 in career prize money in 2019.
Lost the fewest games in history en route to winning the Olympic gold
Oldest player to hold No. 1 ranking at 35 years, 7 months and 5 days as of May 1, 2017
Truly, a timeless athlete. However, father time wins all (TBD pending Lebron James and Tom Brady) and Williams has had quite the injury history in her long career.
2004-2006 | Knee Injuries
2011 | Pulmonary Embolism
2016 | Shoulder and Knee Injuries
2020 | Achilles Tendon
2021 | Torn Hamstring
Following these comments, Williams officially announced her retirement in an article published by Vogue. She wrote, “I have never liked the word retirement. 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.”
She will retire at the end of the US Open, which will conclude in September. A victory there would tie her with Margaret Court for the record of 24 Grand Slam titles. Take it in and enjoy, we are seeing the last moments of an all time great.
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