By EEW Magazine // People // Sports

Goodbyes are hard but necessary. And a truly amazing chapter has come to an end for tennis icon, Serena Williams.

At 40 years old, she has won the most major singles championships in the professional era of tennis which began in 1968. That’s more than the 22 for Steffi Graf or Rafael Nadal, more than the 21 for Novak Djokovic, more than the 20 for Roger Federer, more than the 18 for Chris Evert or Martina Navratilova, more than anyone else.

And, yes, Williams won a total of 73 tour-level singles titles and spent more than six years’ worth of weeks ranked No. 1. And she combined with older sister Venus to claim 14 Grand Slam women’s doubles titles. And then there are the four Olympic gold medals. And so on. And so on.

It’s all remarkable on its own. Add to that her ability to do all these things as an African-American woman, and it’s even more awe-inspiring.

Venus and Serena Williams (Credit: Harper’s Bazaar)

In an essay released by Vogue, Williams spoke out about being Black in her sport — she was the first to win a Grand Slam tournament since Althea Gibson in the 1950s — and in her country. She talked about being a woman in tennis, about being a woman who dealt with complications in childbirth, about being a mother (her daughter, Olympia, turns 5 on Sept. 1, and Williams wants to have another baby).

She and Venus helped their sport reach a broader audience and helped bring a broader slice of society into their sport.

Coco Gauff, the 18-year-old African-American who was the runner-up at the French Open in May, said she plays what she called “a predominantly white sport” because she “saw somebody who looked like me dominating the game.”

“I don’t particularly like to think about my legacy. I get asked about it a lot, and I never know exactly what to say,” Williams wrote in Vogue. “But I’d like to think that thanks to opportunities afforded to me, women athletes feel that they can be themselves on the court. They can play with aggression and pump their fists. They can be strong yet beautiful. They can wear what they want and say what they want and kick butt and be proud of it all.”

What Williams did without a racket in her hand is rather noteworthy too and extends past the millions in endorsement deals; the flirtations with acting; the interest in fashion design and penchant for bringing the catwalk to the court with body suits and knee-high boots and whatever else she decided to try; the celebrity and place in pop culture; and, most recently, the work as a venture capitalist (“Seventy-eight% of our portfolio happens to be companies started by women and people of color, because that’s who we are,” Williams said).

“It is important to take a step back and think about everything that Serena has brought to our sport and what she has accomplished both on and off the court,” said Steve Simon, the head of the WTA women’s tennis tour. “She is one of the greatest champions, an entrepreneur, a mother, an investor in women’s business ventures and an inspiration to women and girls across the world.”

“I’m going to miss that version of me, that girl who played tennis,” said Williams. However, she is eager to walk into the next chapter and explore more facets of herself that she will now be able to focus on.

“I’d like it to be: Serena is this and she’s that and she was a great tennis player and she won those Slams.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.