Serena Williams on Tuesday announced her retirement from tennis, saying that she is "evolving away from tennis" after the US Open. Writing for Vogue, the American said she is moving towards "other things that are important to me" and said, "I have never liked the word retirement. It doesn't feel like a modern word to me. I've been thinking of this as a transition but I want to be sensitive about how I use that word, which means something very specific and important to a community of people," Williams wrote in Vogue.
The news has left her fans disheartened who have been expressing their shock and displeasure on Twitter. One of the users wrote, "Serena is the athlete of my life. Such a great example of perseverance and black excellence. I am in tears." Another said, "No career is immune to time. But she and Venus did bust down doors, sledgehammered the walls. So that Coco, Naomi, other minorities could play."
A fans also wrote, "Why do I feel all emotional? Serena (and Venus) were such an inspiration to me growing up. Godspeed Serena Williams."
Check out some more reactions below:
Serena Wiliams has been ranked singles world number one by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for 319 weeks, including a joint-record 186 consecutive weeks. She also finished as the year-end number one five times. Serena has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, the most by any player in the open era, and the second-most of all time, only behind Margaret Court's 24.
-with ANI inputs
