Serena Williams’ effect will be seen long after she hangs up her racquet, whether it is in the potent ground strokes of players like Coco Gauff or the increasing numbers of African-American children storming into tennis camps across the United States each year.
At some point during the upcoming US Open fortnight, the 23-time Grand Slam champion is anticipated to announce her retirement, capping a career spanning four decades and producing a number of records that may never be topped.
Williams, 40, is a sporting and cultural icon who, along with her older sister Venus, has fundamentally altered the way tennis is played all over the world.
Rafael Nadal, the 22-time Grand Slam singles champion, said of Serena Williams: “I think (Serena) as an athlete, not only as a tennis player, has been one of the most important athletes in the history of sport.”
