Photo Credit: Serena Williams/Instagram
Serena Williams is on the cover of Vogue’s September issue with her 4 year old daughter Olympia announcing her retirement. Wearing a blue Balenciaga gown with her daughter carrying the train, she captioned the photo on her Instagram saying “Vogue. September issue Cover. “There comes a time in life when we have to decide to move in a different direction. 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.”
View this post on Instagram
She says motherhood is the reason she’s deciding to step away from tennis telling Vogue, “Believe me, I never wanted to have to choose between tennis and a family. I don’t think it’s fair. If I were a guy, I wouldn’t be writing this because I’d be out there playing and winning while my wife was doing the physical labor of expanding our family.”
View this post on Instagram
The 23 time Grand Slam champion also has a venture capital firm, Serena Ventures that will certainly be able to keep her busy along with the newborn she’s currently working on bringing to the world. “I have never liked the word retirement. It doesn’t feel like a modern word to me,” she explains. “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.”
View this post on Instagram
We’re happy to have Serena Williams as the first black player to win a Grand Slam title as well as being the first black woman in the open era, her 4 Olympic gold medals along with all her other accomplishments that we’ve had the chance to sit and witness. And to think, she’s only 40.
