Serena will retire from tennis after the US Open

LONDON (Reuters) - Serena Williams said on Tuesday she would "step away" from tennis and signaled her retirement from the game that she has dominated for years and won 23 Grand Slam singles titles at the end of the US Open later this month.

On Monday, Serena played only her second singles match since Wimbledon in June, and after a one-year absence from competitions, she beat Spain's Nuria Barezas Diaz to reach the second round of the Toronto Open.

But the 40-year-old said after yesterday's match that she would seek light at the end of her tennis career.

"I never liked the word retirement," Serena wrote in an article for Vogue.

"Probably the best word to describe who I am is getting away. I'm here to tell you that I'm going away from tennis and getting closer to other things that are more important to me."

"A few years ago I launched the investment company Serena Ventures, and soon after that I started my family and I want this family to grow."

The player won her last Grand Slam title in 2017, and was looking forward to winning her 24th title, equaling the record holder Margaret Court.

Serena has come incredibly close to this feat, having played four Grand Slam finals since giving birth to her daughter Olympia in 2017. "There are people who say I'm not the greatest because I haven't equaled Kurt's record," said former world number one Williams. , which it achieved before the "age of professionalism" that began in 1968.

Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news