[VOGUE EXCLUSIVE]: Serena Williams Set To Retire From Tennis

Hard to believe (and accept), but Serena Williams (40) is getting ready to retire from Tennis!

In the September issue of Vogue magazine, the tennis icon share the cover with her daughter Olympia. She opens up about the difficulty of retiring, let alone thinking about it.

“I have never liked the word retirement. 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. 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.

But I’ve been reluctant to admit to myself or anyone else that I have to move on from playing tennis. Alexis, my husband, and I have hardly talked about it; it’s like a taboo topic. I can’t even have this conversation with my mom and dad. It’s like it’s not real until you say it out loud. It comes up, I get an uncomfortable lump in my throat, and I start to cry. The only person I’ve really gone there with is my therapist! One thing I’m not going to do is sugarcoat this. I know that a lot of people are excited about and look forward to retiring, and I really wish I felt that way.”

She goes on to share that she is looking forward to exploring a different Serena along with expanding her family with husband Alexis. Her daughter prays for a baby sister and Serena hopes to give her that post retirement.

The 23 time grand slam champion had changed the face of tennis not just for women but more specifically for black women/athletes, and aspiring black female tennis players. What Serena and Venus achieve throughout their careers in unmatched and what Serena alone has done for tennis will be spoken about for decades to come.