Is Serena Williams Retired? Everything We Know About Her Tennis Future Amidst 2nd Pregnancy

Serena Williams is 1 of the champion tennis players of each clip with 23 Grand Slam titles to her name Serena is presently expecting her 2nd kid with her husband, Alexis Ohanian Serena candidly admitted that she felt the request to prime increasing her household implicit playing tennis

One of those astir prestigious tennis events of the twelvemonth is here! Wimbledon has commenced and volition diagnostic the world’s apical tennis players implicit 2 weeks of aggravated matches. One tennis pro, Serena Williams, is notably missing. The tennis icon, 41, is respective months large with her 2nd child, truthful it makes consciousness that she wouldn’t beryllium connected the court. But is she retired for good? Here’s everything you request to cognize astir Serena Williams’ lack from Wimbleton and her status plans.

Serena Williams during a tennis lucifer (Photo: Mark Greenwood/IPS/Shutterstock)

Serena Williams Was Invited To Wimbleton 2023

Serena Williams was invited to Wimbleton 2023 to beryllium honored alongside Roger Federer, who has 20 Grand Slam singles championships to his sanction and is regarded wide arsenic 1 of the top tennis players of each time. However, she declined. “She’s pregnant, truthful understandably couldn’t travel,” All England Club president Sally Bolton told AP News connected Monday, July 3. “(We) of people privation her tons of luck with the remainder of her gestation and we anticipation possibly we mightiness spot her adjacent year,” Sally added.

Serena announced her 2nd pregnancy astatine the 2023 Met Gala, wherever she showed up glowing with a babe bump successful a form-fitting Gucci dress. Serena besides shares her archetypal child, a 5-year-old girl named Olympia, with her hubby of 5 years, Alexis Ohanian, 40.

Pregnant Serena Williams arrives astatine the 2023 Met Gala (Photo: Matt Baron/Shutterstock)

Following her gestation reveal, Serena shared an adorable behind-the-scenes video of herself getting acceptable for the 2023 Met Gala. “Olympia does not know right present that I americium pregnant, so the large reveal volition beryllium astatine the Met, and past earlier we leave, I’ll archer Olympia,” she explained successful a voiceover. “The crushed I haven’t told her is due to the fact that she can’t support a secret,” she added. Serena knows however to support things real!

Serena Williams Retired From Playing Tennis Competitvely In 2022

Serena Williams covers ‘Vogue’ with her girl Olypmia. (Photo: Luis Alberto Rodriguez)

Serena announced her determination to discontinue from tennis successful an effort for the Sept. 2022 contented of Vogue, confirming that she planned connected the U.S. Open being her past tournament. The determination came amidst her and her husband’s tendency to grow their household and springiness their then-4-year-old girl a sibling. During her heartfelt essay, Serena wrote that she is not a instrumentality of the connection “retirement,” and alternatively revealed that she volition beryllium “moving on” from her athletics aft the fall.

“I’ve been reasoning of this arsenic a transition, but I privation to beryllium delicate astir however I usage that word, which means thing precise circumstantial and important to a assemblage of people,” she wrote. “Maybe the champion connection to picture what I’m up to is evolution. I’m present to archer you that I’m evolving distant from tennis, toward different things that are important to me.” In summation to her family, Serena present plans connected focusing her attraction connected her task superior firm, Serena Ventures.

Despite coming to presumption with her decision, Serena said determination is “no happiness” successful talking astir the taxable of retirement. “It’s the hardest happening I could ever imagine,” she admitted. “I hatred it. I hatred that I person to beryllium astatine this crossroads.”

Throughout her illustrious career, Serena won 23 Grand Slam titles, putting her 2 abbreviated of beating Margaret Court‘s grounds of 24. Despite wanting to bushed that record, Serena looks backmost connected her vocation proudly, and noted that she won 1 of her titles portion 2 months pregnant, past played aft having a C-section and portion she was breastfeeding and suffering from postpartum depression. “These days, if I person to take betwixt gathering my tennis resume and gathering my family, I take the latter,” she candidly noted.

Serena besides revealed successful the effort that she had already spoken to her doc astir expanding her family, and that she felt assured she would beryllium capable to bash so. “In the past year, Alexis and I person been trying to person different child, and we precocious got immoderate accusation from my doc that enactment my caput astatine easiness and made maine consciousness that whenever we’re ready, we tin adhd to our family,” she explained. “I decidedly don’t privation to beryllium large again arsenic an athlete. I request to beryllium 2 feet into tennis oregon 2 feet out.”

First, though, she had 1 much large tourney successful her: The 2022 U.S. Open. “I don’t cognize if I volition beryllium acceptable to triumph New York, but I’m going to try,” she said. “And the lead-up tournaments volition beryllium fun….I’m unspeakable astatine goodbyes, the world’s worst. But delight cognize that I americium much grateful for you than I tin ever explicit successful words. You person carried maine to truthful galore wins and truthful galore trophies. I’m going to miss that mentation of me, that miss who played tennis. And I’m going to miss you.” Serena’s past tennis match came connected Sept. 2, 2022 astatine the U.S. Open, which ended with a 7-5, 6-7 (4-7), 6-1 nonaccomplishment to Ajla Tomljanovic.

‘Moving On’ Is ‘Harder’ Than Serena Williams Imagined

I’m presently allowing myself to beryllium tired. Allowing myself To relax. Allowing myself to conscionable be. It’s harder than I ever imagined. I’ve ne'er allowed myself to bash immoderate of that before…

— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) December 28, 2022

Serena got existent with her fans erstwhile successful Dec. 2022, she admitted she was struggling with the transition into her beingness post-retirement. “I’m presently allowing myself to beryllium tired. Allowing myself To relax. Allowing myself to conscionable be. It’s harder than I ever imagined,” she tweeted. “I’ve ne'er allowed myself to bash immoderate of that before…” Luckily, she has an energetic young one and a supportive hubby to assistance her accommodate to the caller section of her life!

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