Serena will retire as one of the greatest in history to start a new fight

In an interview with Harper’s Bazar magazine in March of this year, Serena Williams, 40, was asked about the legacy she would leave for tennis.

He refused to answer.

“Let me live,” he said. “This isn’t something I think about or want. I don’t want to imagine what I’m leaving behind.”

She will have to start thinking about it. This Tuesday (9), in a text published on the website of Vogue magazine, she confirmed that she will retire, although she has made it clear that she does not believe she fits that word. She sees herself as “evolving”.

This means, according to her, that the time has come to prioritize her family, perhaps having other sons or daughters (she is the mother of Olympia, 4) and focus on new projects.

“I never wanted to choose between tennis and family. I don’t think it’s fair. If I were a boy I wouldn’t have to write this because I’d be out there playing and winning while my wife would be doing the physical work of raising our family. more like Tom Brady if given the opportunity,” he wrote, citing the NFL quarterback, who remains active at 45.

While he has spoken about wanting to withdraw from the sport, he has not set a specific date. The fairytale finale would be at the US Open, which starts later this month. It’s the tournament that, as a child, he always imagined winning — and he did it six times, the last in 2014. It was also his first Grand Slam title, in 1999, just before he turned 18.

Serena will retire as one of the greatest tennis players in history and one of the most dominant athletes of all time. Second in the ranking of Grand Slam titles (23, one less than Margaret Court) and fifth with the most achievements on the WTA circuit (73), she is third in the list of those who spent the longest time in the rankings (319 weeks). .

In awards alone, it earned US$ 94.6 million (R$ 485.22 million at the current price). But that tells part of the story. Forbes estimates that this year the athlete received around US$ 30 million (R$ 153.9 million), but only US$ 300,000 (R$ 1.5 million) was obtained for her results on the court.

She and her sister, Venus, dominated women’s tennis for nearly a year. From Roland Garros in 2002 to the 2003 Australian Open, in four consecutive Grand Slam tournaments, the two made the final. Serena won them all.

His style of play drew attention for the power of the serve (capable of exceeding 200 km/h) and the overwhelming right-hand stroke. She herself recognizes that her confidence and ability to learn from her own mistakes (and those of others) were crucial.

“On trips with Venus to tournaments, I watched her games and when she lost, I knew why she lost. I told myself I wouldn’t make the same mistakes,” he explained.

In an interview with AFP, her coach Patrick Mouratoglou opined that the athlete “changed tennis”, “opened doors” and “invented intimidation”.

Following the release of the 2021 movie “King Richard”, which is about sisters Serena and Venus and their father Richard, Venus joked that their future after their tennis careers would be as bodybuilders. But Serena has other ideas.

One of them is to join the fight for the issue of gender equality and for greater opportunities for women, not just in sport.

She remembers a conference she attended at the JPMorgan Chase bank. It was presented given that only 2% of investments in new companies were destined to women. Serena thought she got it wrong and then went to confirm the information. She had heard right.

“I understood in that moment that someone like me should start writing these big checks. Men are writing these big checks to each other, and to change that, more people like me need to be in that position,” he explains. She created Serena Ventures, an equity firm to help promote gender diversity. It raised US$ 111 million (R$ 569 million).

The issue of sexism has been present in his career for a long time. The most controversial episode took place at the 2018 US Open final. She accused chair judge Carlos Ramos of sexism and being a “thief” for giving her a punishment.

For the referee, Serena received instructions from her coach during the match, which is illegal.

“I’m here fighting for women’s rights and women’s equality and all that stuff. To me, saying ‘thief’ to him and being punished for losing a game felt like something sexist. He would never do that to a man. “, he accused.

The film was just one of the aspects that exposed Serena as a figure that transcends sport. As a fashion icon, in 2018 she created her clothing line, S by Serena, and, the following year, a jewelry brand.

“I’m used to overcoming difficult situations, having challenges. This has always happened in my life and in my career. It’s part of who I am,” she said in an interview in 2016.

In 2003, his half-sister Yetunde was shot to death in Los Angeles. Seven years later, Serena suffered cuts to her feet after stepping on broken glass. In March 2011, a pulmonary embolism nearly killed her.

In recent years, the overwhelming career has given way to less remarkable results. Serena entered this month’s Canadian Open only for having received a special ranking. Her victory over Spain’s Nuria Párrizas Díaz in the second (8th) was her first in singles tournaments after 14 months.

On the WTA circuit, his last title was the 2017 Albert of Australia.

“It’s always a difficult time when you love something so much. And my God, I like tennis,” he summed up in an Instagram post.