Recently Retired Allyson Felix Praises Serena Williams & Advises Her To ‘Soak It All In’: ‘She’s Been A Gift’

Serena Williams took her last bow astatine what she said volition beryllium her last nonrecreational tennis competition connected September 2nd, 2022. The 23-time Grand Slam victor captivated fans and drew scores of celebrities and record-breaking viewers to Arthur Ashe Stadium during her epic run, but yet mislaid to Ajla Tomljanovic successful the 3rd round. Recently retired way prima and Olympic golden medalist Allyson Felix gushed implicit Serena’s unthinkable vocation and shared her proposal for the jock present that she has a clump of escaped clip (not really, though). “I anticipation she conscionable soaks it each in!” the 11-time Olympic medalist told HollywoodLife successful an EXCLUSIVE interview. “We were each watching and conscionable celebrating this unthinkable vocation arsenic she moves towards different passions successful her life. She’s been a acquisition and to myself and to truthful galore different people, and I conscionable anticipation that she truly really enjoys it.”

Serena Williams astatine her last lucifer astatine the US Open. (Dubreuil Corinne/ABACA/Shutterstock)

Allyson, 36, announced her retirement earlier the 2024 Olympics successful Paris, moving her last contention successful the metropolis wherever she grew up connected Sunday, August 7. “My imagination script would beryllium to tally successful my hometown, connected the streets. I deliberation that would beryllium the coolest happening ever,” Felix told her partners astatine Athleta astatine the time. “A batch of friends and family, they’ve ne'er been capable to spot maine tally successful person. You know, there’s not meets present anymore. I thought that this was a cleanable afloat ellipse infinitesimal to conscionable person a celebration.” As the astir decorate sprinter successful US history, the parent of 1 postponed her status briefly, aft coaches asked her instrumentality to the satellite championships to contention successful the preliminaries of the women’s 4×400 successful July.

“I deliberation it inactive hasn’t rather deed maine yet. But I’m conscionable truly enjoying a small much household time,” Allyson told HL pursuing her last run. “Eating immoderate of my favourite things that I haven’t been capable to eat, and recovering my assemblage from each of it. It’s been truly nice, but you know, a batch of things connected the skyline arsenic well!”

Allyson Felix. (John G Mabanglo/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)

The sprinter admitted that she “knew” it was clip to discontinue due to the fact that she “felt fulfilled” successful her career. “I felt similar I was capable to bash a batch of things that I wanted to, execute a batch of goals and, this past season, I truly felt for the archetypal clip that I wasn’t definite if I had immoderate much to give,” she explained. “I perfectly emotion competing. I emotion each of it, and I cognize I’m going to miss it truthful much, but it felt similar it was the close time. I knew that determination are different projects that I wanted to do, and I felt similar it was clip to measurement distant and determination towards those things.”

One of those projects includes Allyson’s caller concern with Clorox! Back-to-school play brings a big of caller germs into the home, and with Allyson’s 3-year-old girl Camryn acceptable for the caller year, she is spreading the quality astir however to support the full household from getting sick this autumn with Clorox. “I’m ace arrogant to spouse with Clorox and to assistance parents commencement the schoolhouse twelvemonth disconnected successful a cleanable way,” Allyson told HL. “We can’t spend to beryllium stopped by the communal acold oregon flu, truthful I’m truly excited to assistance parents person an unstoppable year.”