Serena Williams Preparing to Retire After U.S. Open

The U.S. Open may be the last stand for tennis legend Serena Williams, who through the years dominated the sport. However, as she prepares to retire, she won't only be playing singles, but doubles, teaming up with her sister, Venus Williams.

According to Deadline, the Williams sisters, who have previously gained doubles success in the U.S. Open twice already, will be entering the tournament as Wild Card entries. This will be the first time that the sisters will be playing doubles together in an official match in the tournament since 2014. Their last official doubles match at a major together was in 2018, at the French Open.

Serena will also be playing Singles, opening her U.S. Open campaign against Danka Kovinic from Montenegro on Monday.

U.S. Open to Focus On Serena Williams' Career

The biggest storyline for the U.S. Open this year is Serena Williams' announcement of her "evolution" away from the sport. She has publicly made it clear that she does not like the term "retirement" during her interview with Vogue magazine.

Many experts believe this year's U.S. Open to be her last one. However, the tennis star has not specified when she will exactly retire. Many think it will be this tournament as it is the final major of the year, according to the Associated Press.

However, if she does go out after the U.S. Open, she will have had a career that spanned decades, winning 23 major singles championships, the No. 1 ranking, and Olympic gold medals. She also helped transcend the sport, making it more mainstream as she and her sister became celebrities and ambassadors for their sport. She also broke down barriers, as she and Venus became role models for young women everywhere.

Venus and Serena Williams changed the game entirely. Though time has already caught up with them, they remain the biggest names in the sport.

As for Serena, she made her U.S. Open debut in 1998 at the age of 16. She will enter the tournament in 2022 at the age of 42, with this being her 21^st U.S. Open run.

Serena suffered to singles losses ahead of her U.S. Open campaign, recently losing to Belinda Bencic in the second round with a 6-2, 6-4 defeat. She then competed in Cincinnati but lost to a much younger Emma Raducanu. However, as she enters her home court at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday, a partisan crowd will be expected to cheer for the tennis legend.

Rafael Nadal Comments on Serena's Retirement Announcement

Many in the sporting world reacted to her announcement. One of them is her friend and fellow tennis icon, Rafael Nadal.

According to Tennis World, the Spanish tennis star stated that from a sporting perspective, it is a shame that she is retiring. However, he admitted that she should enjoy what she has already achieved in the game because she deserves it. Rafa added that Serena has worked for a long time now with determination, dedication, and discipline.

Nadal also hopes she would stick around tennis after retirement, as it would be good for the sport.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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