From early triumphs over adversity to winning a grand slam tournament while pregnant, Serena Williams’ career reads like something straight from a comic book. There’s no doubt that she has earned her place as one of the most successful and inspirational athletes in any sport, not just tennis.
She has 23 grand slam titles to her name, and for the past five years, she’s been searching for her 24th, a figure that will equal Margaret Court’s all time record. Now, however, even her most ardent fans are forced to acknowledge that’s looking less likely to happen.
Serena at 40
Justine Henin summed it up when she told Eurosport a couple of months ago that Williams is starting to lose the fear factor. Henin is actually nine months younger than Williams, although she retired more than a decade ago. She said “we were afraid of Serena in my era,” but acknowledged that the youngsters dominating the game today like Barty and Sabalenka no longer have that fear.
These are players who have never known a pro tour without Serena Williams – bear in mind that she turned pro in 1995, before the players mentioned above were even born. But nobody can continue forever and there comes a point where trying to continue can be damaging to the overall sporting legacy.
Forthcoming tournaments
Williams’ last tournament of note was Wimbledon last year. However, she still has her eyes on one more major prize. When she withdrew from the Australian Open at the end of last year, she talked about returning to compete at her highest level, and the next opportunity to do that will be at Roland-Garros. Aside from some cryptic tweets, there are few clues as to whether she will play, but a look at the French open odds shows she is a 20/1 shot to win.
It’s arguable that if she’s going to do it anywhere, however, it will be at the home of tennis. Wimbledon has always had a special place in Serena’s heart. To step out onto the court and win at 40 years old having not played for a year? It would fit right into the comic book narrative, and the bookies tend to agree – she’s a 12/1 shot to win her record-equalling 24th in SW19.
Beyond tennis
Don’t mistake Serena’s determination as some refusal to face reality. She feels she has more to give the sport, and so for now she continues. However, she recently told Bloomerang that she’s spent the past decade preparing to retire. She said “I love to play tennis, but I know I can’t do it for the rest of my life.”
Serena has numerous entrepreneurial interests centred around her own fashion brand. She’s also a busy mother to daughter Olympia and is certain to be in demand for media appearances and tennis punditry. There’s plenty of life outside tennis for Serena, but the sport will be all the poorer without her when the day finally comes to hang up her shoes.
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