As one of the world's greatest tennis players retires her racket, we take a look at how she redefined the sport and pushed it forward in leaps and bounds
An era is finally coming to a close after American tennis player Serena Williams announced on August 9 that she will be retiring from the sport that propelled her to fame and right into sporting history.
In US Vogue’s September cover story, Williams made the announcement by saying that she will be “evolving away from tennis” and that she will be focusing more on her work as an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and mother.
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The news sent ripples through the tennis community as many contemplated the sport without one of the greatest tennis players of all time present. Truly, Williams has been an impressive force to be reckoned with after clawing her way to winning 23 Grand Slam titles, a record for any player, male or female, in the Open era. She also shares a record of 186 consecutive weeks spent as world number one on the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) rankings with Steffi Graf.
The way Williams overcame racism, sexism, depression and crippling illnesses to finish at the top is undeniably a remarkable story and one that will keep her in history books for decades to come.
Below, we highlight some of the greatest and most historic sporting moments in her career.