Serena Williams opens up on taking next steps in her career: ‘It’s been a very hard decision’

Serena Williams placed on a present within the first spherical of the U.S. Open on Monday night time, defeating Danka Kovinić in straight units 6-3, 6-3.

Williams was enjoying in what is probably going her closing Grand Slam match. After the victory, Gayle King appeared at Arthur Ashe Stadium at one finish of the courtroom and launched Williams to step as much as the microphone.

King requested Williams why she determined it was time to stroll away. Williams wrote an essay about strolling away from the game she dominated for quite a few years. 

“It’s been such a tough resolution, you understand. … It’s been a really exhausting resolution as a result of I feel once you’re enthusiastic about one thing, and you’re keen on one thing a lot I feel it’s at all times exhausting to stroll away,” Williams mentioned. “Typically it’s more durable to stroll away than to not and that’s been the case for, so I’ve been attempting to resolve for a short time what to do.”

The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion joked that the game nonetheless stored her match.

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Serena Williams, of the USA, celebrates towards Danka Kovinic of Montenegro throughout the Ladies’s Singles First Spherical on Day One of many 2022 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King Nationwide Tennis Middle on August 29, 2022 within the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York Metropolis.
(Sarah Stier/Getty Photographs)

“However I used to be identical to, ‘Alright, I feel now’s the time. I simply have a household’ … There’s different chapters in life and, you understand, I name it an evolution,” she mentioned.

Williams admitted that “successful” at this stage would imply having success in her post-tennis profession.

“I’ve my VC firm, Serena Ventures, and like I mentioned we spend money on lots of people. We spend money on girls and other people of colour and males as effectively, we spend money on everybody. I actually wished to spend extra time at house and work on my religious life and that was actually necessary to me,” she mentioned.

“It’s like Serena 2.0. I’m nonetheless gonna be loopy, I’m nonetheless gonna be intense. I’ll nonetheless be round.”

Serena Williams, of the USA, celebrates towards Danka Kovinic of Montenegro throughout the Ladies’s Singles First Spherical on Day One of many 2022 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King Nationwide Tennis Middle on August 29, 2022 within the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York Metropolis.
(Elsa/Getty Photographs)

Williams regarded as strong as ever towards Kovinić, however could have a robust take a look at within the second spherical Wednesday. Williams will face the No. 2-seeded Anett Kontaveit, who beat out Jaqueline Cristian in straight units as effectively 6-3, 6-0.