Serena Williams has announced her impending retirement from tennis.
The 23-time Grand Slam her champion won her first singles match in over a year at the National Bank Her Open in Toronto Monday night. "I am here to tell you that I am evolving away from tennis and towards other things that are important to me," Vogue said of her decision to end her career.
Williams has committed to playing the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati next week and the US Open later this month,It looks like it will be her last tournament.
Since she won her first Grand Slam title at age 17, Williams has rarely been in the spotlight.
Now let's look at the highs and lows for Americans.
Highest
1999 US Open
Williams beats her sister Venus to Grand Slam in New York won the title of her 18th birthday. The teenager put on a phenomenal run, winning her three sets her battle with Kim Clijsters, Conchita Martinez, Monica Seles and Lindsay Davenport, and surpassing world No. 1 Martina Hingis in the final. I broke it.
Serena her slam
Williams won her next slam her title though she had to wait nearly three years , when she won, she swept all four of her. Her run began with her victory at the 2002 French Open and ended when she lifted the Australian Open trophy the following January, where she beat Venus in every final. Williams' first world No. 1 achievement was dubbed the "Serena Slam."
Australian Open 2007
Williams arrived in Melbourne in 81st place. Her attention turned to her physical condition and her demeanor, but Nike threatened to drop her if she didn't do well. She nearly lost in the second round to Nadia Petrova and Shahar Pail in the quarterfinals, but she made it to the final, where she lost just three matches to Maria Sharapova.
Golden 2012
A notable impetus for the second half of the season was Williams' first loss in the first round of a Grand Slam at the French Open. That was it. She then began working under French coach Patrick Mouratoglou, winning her fifth Wimbledon title and her first Olympic gold medal in singles.
2017 Australian Open
The most prolific five years of Williams' career, she won her tenth Slam title in Melbourne. , ending with her 23rd win overall. Williams again defeated her sister Venus in the final, but what made this a special achievement was that she was three months pregnant with the American and eight weeks pregnant at the time of the final. It only became clear when I revealed that there was.
Williams celebrates winning the 2017 Australian Open
(AFP via Getty Images)
From
2001 Indian Wells
Serena finals a major WTA Tour event near her childhood home in California. was scheduled to play against Venus. Fans were unhappy that Venus withdrew just before the match and booed Serena during the final against Clijsters. Serena didn't compete in a tournament again until 2015, but Venus returned in 2016.
Trouble in 2006
After battling a knee injury, the American later said she was suffering from depression and was seeing a therapist. She was out of action for six months and returned in August after dropping her rankings to 139. She needed a wild card to qualify for the US Open and she finished the season ranked 95.
2009 US Open
After losing the first set in the semi-finals to Clijsters, Williams was warned for racket abuse. 5-6 and he was called for a foot fault in the second on his serve which he tied at 15-30. Set to give match points to your opponent. Williams reacted angrily to the line judge who made her call, taunting and threatening to push a tennis ball down her throat, she received a point penalty and lost the match. She was fined her record $82,500 (about £65,000) and was given two years' probation.
Foot injury 2010
Williams won her fourth Wimbledon title without dropping a single set, but she Her celebration turned sour when she stepped on a shard of glass in a Munich restaurant. Her surgery followed, and more seriously, she developed a potentially life-threatening pulmonary embolism. Williams didn't play in nearly a year and suffered another pulmonary embolism after giving birth to her daughter Olympia.
2018 US Open
Williams, who later returned to the sport, reached her second straight Slam final in New York. But the match against Naomi Osaka turned out to be one of the most controversial occasions in sports as Williams clashed with referee Carlos Ramos. Williams received a point penalty and then a game penalty for breaking his racket after calling Ramos a thief and a liar. Williams, who accused Ramos of sexism, was fined $17,000 (about £13,000).
