Why Serena Williams Retired From Tennis

Speaking to Bradley Cooper on the A+E Networks and History Channel’s History Talks occasion on Saturday, Serena defined that she simply felt like she “wanted to cease.”

“I always said I wanted to stop when I’m playing really good tennis and winning and beating good players,” she continued, per Variety. “For me, it’s really about things I want to do spiritually and spending time with my daughter and family.”

Serena shared that as a “hands-on mom,” she’d struggled to be away from her daughter, Olympia, as soon as she returned to the game in 2017.

“As a super hands-on mom, I can’t tell you how hard it was,” Serena said. “I lost so many matches after I had Olympia because it was so hard to be on the court. I feel like I’ve given so much of my life to tennis, my entire life, that it’s time to do something different for me and also work on other things.”

But that is to not say that she will not return someday. When requested about the potential for un-retiring, Serena mentioned: “I really feel like if I wish to come again, I undoubtedly can nonetheless come again.”