Serena Williams will make her farewell entrance at the US Open on the grandest tennis stage, but it won’t likely be a fairytale ending for one of the most fascinating people in sports.
Williams’ transformation from champion to mother, wife, businesswoman, and finally part-time tennis player has been a long time coming, yet in some ways her decision seemed to catch everyone off guard. Williams herself included.
Williams hinted at her impending retirement in a Vogue article published in early August. She stated that she was “evolving away from tennis” but did not specifically state that the U.S. Open would be her last match.
But at Flushing Meadows, the tennis community is planning a sizable retirement celebration.
There is undoubtedly no better venue to put an end to one of tennis’s greatest careers than in New York City, a city that has supported her throughout her career and helped her win six US Open titles.
Williams won her first of 23 Grand Slam singles matches there.
But even ardent Williams followers will have a hard time believing the 40-year-old is capable of working such magic.
