After almost 30 years on the court, professional tennis player Serena Williams announced her retirement in a Vogue article in early August. Known as an iconic dynamic duo with her sister Venus, both sisters have awed fans for decades on end and are considered top-tier women’s tennis players.

Similar to Tom Brady’s original retirement announcement, Williams shocked tennis fans around the globe when word of her retirement was first released. For many young tennis players, Williams has been an icon, with her utter willpower and achievement of 23 grand slam titles in singles alone.

With retirement, Williams’s plans are solely focused on things that she is passionate about, such as being there for her 5-year-old daughter Olympia and husband Alexis. Being a pro athlete also means putting life on hold to practice and be the best. With retirement not only will she be extremely successful in doing what she loves most (other than tennis, of course), but she will also leave behind a legacy for future players to learn from.

Coach Betsy Jordan, the coach for both the boys and girls varsity Sage Creek tennis teams, has admired Williams’ play style in the past. 

“I wasn’t surprised that Serena was going to retire because she had a baby, though I was hoping she would last long enough so that she could get that last major title to tie Margaret Court,” Jordan said. “For the last 20 years, she has inspired so many good tennis players and I think it’s nice she’s going out on her own terms. From watching her on TV I’ve really enjoyed her aggressive play as she was one of the first players to get really physical. I also admire her tenacity, how she never wanted to lose and never gave up. Somebody might do well in the future, but not in every division like she has.”

Williams’ first grand slam title was in New York at the 1999 US open. Ironically, this is also where her last set of matches were held. Many were lucky to witness Williams’ last game on the court such as senior Curren Brown. 

“I was obviously super sad when hearing news of her retirement, but she’s had a really successful career,” Brown said. “I got to see her live on her last match and have watched her on TV many times. I think she’s the best and it’s going to take a long time before someone has changed tennis like she has.”

After an outstanding career, it is time for the tennis community to say goodbye to one of the greatest tennis players this world has had the privilege of witnessing. Her reputation will possibly carry on for centuries, and she will be greatly missed on the court.

“Maybe the best word to describe what I’m up to is evolution,” Williams said. “I’m here to tell you that I’m evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me.”