When it comes to her career in the future, Serena Williams is clear about what she wants.
The 40-year-old woman, who has won a total of 23 Grand Slam titles, is on the cover of the most recent edition of TIME. Inside, she reveals how the changing priorities in her life have led to her decision to retire from the sport after participating in it for more than 27 years.
Admitting that her daughter Olympia, who will be five years old this week, responded to her decision to retire from the sport with a “fist-pumping “Yes!” Williams said that she felt “sort of sad” after hearing the answer.
She explains, “When your own flesh and blood is screaming ‘Aw,’ it’s hard to totally commit to anything.”
She states that there is “no animosity” despite the fact that her want to increase the size of her family is what is driving “this development” and that the same cannot be said about male sportsmen.
Williams adds, “I’m ready for the shift,” and she continues, “When it comes to being a parent, I believe I’m good at it, but I want to investigate whether or not I can be great at it.”
Williams has made no secret of the fact that Olympia is keen to have a sibling. Williams states this of her own childhood, “I can’t even begin to envision my life without my sisters.”
She goes on to say, “When I look at Olympia, I realize that I’m really not operating at my full potential by not trying harder to give her that sibling.” “Coming from a large family, and coming from a family of five species, there’s nothing better than that.”
The founder of Serena Ventures also discusses a day earlier this month when she overheard Olympia wishing for a younger sister while blowing on a dandelion. Olympia’s dream was to have a baby sister. She explains, “This is what I have to deal with on a daily basis.”
The tennis great mentioned during her appearance on the “A Conversation with Champions” panel that took place at the Lotte New York Palace hotel in New York City in advance of the U.S. Open that she and her daughter, who is 4 and a half years old, share all of the same interests, with the exception of playing tennis.
During the discussion that was led by Sheinelle Jones and Dylan Dreyer of the Today program, Williams referred to Sheinelle as “my little friend.” “Everything is done by both of us. When we go out on dates, it’s a lot of fun since she like most of the things I do, with the exception of tennis.”
“She is a lot of laughs. I see a lot of aspects of my own personality in her, and it’s such a blessing to have her here with me right now so that she can observe how I spend my days, “Williams added of her child, revealing that she and her husband Alexis Ohanian are the child’s parents.
