Serena Williams opens up: “Retirement? No matter how prepared you are… it's hard”

Since leaving the tour, Serena Williams is fighting on a whole different field: that of her life as a mom.

AFP

Arthur Millot

le 01/12/2025 à 12h39

2 min to read

Williams

When she left the stage at the 2022 US Open, the world thought it was witnessing an accepted, prepared, almost peaceful retirement.

Yet, behind the grand farewells and the emotion of the crowd, Serena is going through a transition much harsher than she wants to admit.

“No matter how prepared you are… it's hard,” she confides today, almost three years later.

She had anticipated this moment, had prepared herself mentally, had even started living away from the tour.

But nothing could truly prepare her for the abrupt halt of an intensity she had known for over 20 years.

“I want to be with my family”: Serena, a mother above all

Today, her priority is no longer titles, but a family dinner. And her two daughters, born after years of sacrifices and achievements, have become the absolute center of her life.

“I worked hard, but earlier than most people. Today, I can focus on my children,” she explains.

Lightning round trips, impossible schedule

Today, the American tries to adhere to a very busy schedule in a way that always allows her to be present for her children.

“Sometimes, I take a flight to New York, do what I have to do, come back… and I'm home in time for dinner.”

Now, Serena organizes her life like a permanent tournament, juggling professional obligations, express trips, and the desire to be present every night with her daughters.