Serena’s lasting legacy — and what comes next
But it’s impossible to contextualize Serena’s performance on the court without reflecting on her massive impact off the court. After spending much of the mid-2000s, Williams won five of eight Grand Slams in 2002-03 but only two from 2004 to 2007, often struggling with her playing tennis. Criticized for not doing enough.
Explaining that she “works part-time outside of tennis” time magazine 2022. Side gigs include acting, Gold Star reality TV shows, magazine covers, music videos and more.
While some question the off-court schedule as “distracting,” Williams is rewriting the script, a move that will be bolstered by her longevity and late-career success, including two Olympic gold medals and 10 more Major singles champion. 30 years old – at this age, many previous superstars have hung up their rackets.
Later in her career, Williams addressed numerous social issues head-on, including her return to Indianville in 2015, 14 years after she was booed by a predominantly white crowd during a racist incident. WTA 1000 venue in Sri Lanka.
“I just felt like it was time,” Williams told reporters after returning and advancing to the semifinals. “(It’s) a great day for me, for women’s tennis, for the tennis community in general… and for everyone.”
Williams even tried to change the culture around retirement in professional sports, writing in his book Fashion In the summer of 2022, she’s “stepping away” from tennis: “I’m here to tell you that I’m taking a step away from tennis,” she wrote. “Go and do other things that are important to me.”
What are those things? Currently, her life includes motherhood, investing in women- and BIPOC-owned business ventures, working with sponsorship partners, and living away from tennis, giving birth to her second daughter, Adira, in August 2023.
“For me, tennis is such an important part of my life that I can’t imagine not being involved in it,” she said at her final U.S. Open press conference. “I don’t know what this involvement is yet. I think it means so much in my life, I’ve had so many wonderful moments and I can’t see a future without it.
“What was my involvement? I don’t know.”