Serena Williams and the entire tennis community have been preparing for the legend’s inevitable retirement, but we still don’t feel strong enough to accept the goodbye of the WTA’s greatest player in modern times. The 40-year-old American has made the tough and uncomfortable decision, announcing in a lengthy Vogue interview that the US Open will most likely be her last tournament.
It’s not that the Hologic WTA Tour isn’t ready for Williams’ absence, as she’s already had large periods of inactivity, most recently a one-year patch from Wimbledon 2021 to Wimbledon 2022 without singles competition, but knowing that she was still around and waiting to come back did make us feel at ease.