Serena Williams revealed her plans to retire from professional tennis in August of 2022, with the US Open being her last tournament. Despite her resolve to end her career, she shared her conflicting feelings about the move during a recent interview with CBS.
Despite having few matches under her belt, Serena Williams performed exceptionally well at the 2022 US Open, securing wins over Danka Kovinic and World No. 2 Anett Kontaveit. However, her final professional match took place in the third round of the tournament, where she lost to Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic after a three-hour-long battle with a score of 7-5, 6-7 (4), 6-1.
Despite the defeat, the 41-year-old American tennis legend fought till the end, saving five match points in an attempt to change the outcome. Serena Williams recently admitted to feeling sad after her career ended, revealing that she desired to continue winning.
“I’ve literally given my whole life to tennis and it’s time for me to give my life to something else”: @serenawilliams is moving away from the tennis court — for now, at least.
In an exclusive interview, the GOAT and @alexisohanian tell @GayleKing what’s next for their family. pic.twitter.com/S7JQCO4kZe
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) February 1, 2023
During an interview with Gayle King for CBS Mornings, Williams expressed disappointment about “letting that match go.” She said “I was actually not very happy at all. Just because of the result. I was there to keep going and to keep winning and yeah, it was more or less like, ‘I can’t believe I let that match go’ more than anything, you know.” The 41-year-old pondered over the possibility of changing the result of the match.
When did Serena Williams retire?
Serena Williams is a former American tennis player who is widely regarded as one of the greatest of all time. She held the top singles ranking in the world by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) for 319 weeks, including a record-tying 186 consecutive weeks, and was the year-end No. 1 five times. With 23 Grand Slam singles titles to her name, she holds the Open Era record for the most wins and ranks second all-time.
Serena Williams, along with her sister Venus Williams, was trained by her parents Oracene Price and Richard Williams. She turned professional in 1995 and captured her first Grand Slam singles title at the 1999 US Open. From 2002 to 2003, she dominated the tennis world, winning all four major singles titles (each time facing Venus in the final) and achieving a non-calendar year Grand Slam and the career Grand Slam, commonly referred to as the “Serena Slam.”
Serena Williams, the all-time greatest tennis player, announces her retirement at the US Open after 27 years and 73 victories. https://t.co/Vu8vXSRCUW
— Lifeissues11 (@AGINAS) January 23, 2023
In addition to her singles titles, Williams also earned 14 Grand Slam women’s doubles titles, all with her sister Venus, and they remained undefeated in Grand Slam doubles finals. In August 2022, she announced her retirement from professional tennis and competed in what was believed to be her last match at the 2022 US Open.
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