Tennis legend Serena Williams hinted at a possible retirement from tennis in the near future. After winning at the Canadian Open in Toronto, Williams admitted that she’s “getting closer to the light,” The New York Post reports.
“Lately, that’s been it, I can’t wait to get to that light,” Williams said, according to The Guardian.
She added that the “light” represented “freedom.”
“I love playing though, it’s amazing. I can’t do this forever, so sometimes you just want to try your best to enjoy the moments and do the best that you can,” she continued.
In a piece written for Vogue, Williams said she “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,” she added.
Williams took the victory over Nuria Párrizas Díaz 6-3, 6-4 in Toronto. The win is the first in a singles match for the 40-year-old since the French Open in 2021.
This is the second tournament of the season for the tennis star who will face either Belinda Bencic or Tereza Martincova.
She has previously won the tournament three times, and in her last appearance in the tournament she reached the finals in 2019.
Williams is also expected to play at the U.S. Open in New York at the end of the month.
“Unfortunately I wasn’t ready to win Wimbledon this year,” Williams said in the Vogue article. “And I don’t know if I will be ready to win New York. But I’m going to try. And the lead-up tournaments will be fun.”
“But I’m not looking for some ceremonial, final on-court moment,” she added. ‘I’m terrible at goodbyes, the world’s worst. But please know that I am more grateful for you than I can ever express in words. You have carried me to so many wins and so many trophies. I’m going to miss that version of me, that girl who played tennis. And I’m going to miss you.”
As for what’s next after tennis for Williams, she said that she’s looking forward to adding to her family.
“In the last year, Alexis and I have been trying to have another child, and we recently got some information from my doctor that put my mind at ease and made me feel that whenever we’re ready, we can add to our family,” Williams said. “I definitely don’t want to be pregnant again as an athlete. I need to be two feet into tennis or two feet out.”
