“She’s like one of the all-time greatest athletes in the history of any sport – male or female.”
Tellingly,Williams referenced American NFL great Tom Brady,45,when explaining her choice between chasing records or expanding on her family.
“I never wanted to have to choose between tennis and a family. I don’t think it’s fair,” Williams wrote in herVogue essay,which was released about the same time as she had her first win since last year’s French Open,an opening round victory in Toronto.
“If I were a guy,I wouldn’t be writing this because I’d be out there playing and winning while my wife was doing the physical labor of expanding our family.
“Maybe I’d be more of a Tom Brady if I had that opportunity. Don’t get me wrong:I love being a woman,and I loved every second of being pregnant with Olympia.
“A lot of people don’t realise that I was two months pregnant when I won the Australian Open in 2017. But I’m turning 41 this month,and something’s got to give.”
Williams reached four major finals and played two other grand slam semi-finals since returning to pro tennis as a mother,adding to her exalted status. But her situation is not unique.
Belgian Kim Clijsters famously won three of her four major titles as a mother,while Australian legend Evonne Goolagong Cawley – an inspiration to recently retired former world No.1 Ashleigh Barty – claimed one of her two Wimbledon titles,in 1980,in motherhood.
Only recently,German Tatjana Maria,35,reached the Wimbledon semi-finals after career disruptions. Maria was the first mother of two to make the last four of a major since Court at Wimbledon in 1975.
“It’s the hardest thing that I could ever imagine,” said Williams,when confirming her retirement. The sport’s head honchos and tournament organisers would feel similarly feel a lump in their throat about a drawcard of the sport walking away.
Former Australian doubles champion Rennae Stubbs said WTA players were regularly exploring fertility options.
“I know players that want to have children,that want to have a family,have[frozen] their eggs,because they want to play until their mid-30s or 40s,” Stubbs told the ABC.
“And there’s so much money in tennis now,they want to keep going and they can sustain themselves and their families.”
Williams’ career coincided with an extraordinary period in men’s tennis that featured the career of three all-time greats – Roger Federer,Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal – who have won at least 20 majors.
Chasing records has been at the forefront of Federer-Djokovic-Nadal storylines. It’s also been front of mind for Williams.
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Williams confirmed on one hand that she wanted Court’s record but,on the other hand,dismissed its significance. “Day to day,I’m really not thinking about her[Court],” Williams wrote.
Instead,what also caught the eye was that Williams thought she was capable of winning more than 30 majors. It’s hard to fathom given that the American,when she reached the big finals,usually won. Not many moments slipped from her grasp,even though four of her 10 lost grand slam finals happened since 2017.
Williams explained her obsession with obliterating the record books.
“I started playing tennis with the goal of winning the US Open. I didn’t think past that. And then I just kept winning. I remember when I passed Martina Hingis’ grand slam count. Then[Monica] Seles’. And then I tied Billie Jean King ... then it was climbing over the Chris Evert-Martina Navratilova mountain.
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“There are people who say I’m not the GOAT because I didn’t pass Margaret Court’s record of 24 grand slam titles,which she achieved before the ‘Open era’ that began in 1968[ed note:Court won 11 of her major titles in the Open era].
“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want that record. Obviously I do. But day to day,I’m really not thinking about her.
“If I’m in a grand slam final,then yes,I am thinking about that record. Maybe I thought about it too much,and that didn’t help.
“The way I see it,I should have had 30-plus grand slams.
“But I didn’t get there. Shoulda,woulda,coulda. I didn’t show up the way I should have or could have. But I showed up 23 times,and that’s fine. Actually,it’s extraordinary.”
Enough said. It’s time to let the farewell party to an all-time great unfold.
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