Serena Williams announces plan to retire from tennis after 2022 U.S. Open

One of the most decorated careers in professional tennis history now has an end date.

In a first-person essay with Vogue, Palm Beach Gardens resident Serena Williams, 40, announced her intention to move on from tennis after the 2022 U.S. Open, which is set for Aug. 29 to Sept. 11 in New York.

Williams' 23 career grand slam victories are the second-most all-time among women's tennis players, trailing only Margaret Court's 24 victories. Overall, Williams has won 73 singles titles and 23 doubles titles professionally.

Williams is the most lucrative women's tennis player of all-time: Her $94,588,910 career winnings with the WTA are more than double her older sister Venus, who is second with $42,285,378 in earnings.

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On Monday in Toronto, Serena defeated Nuria Parrizas Diaz in straight sets for her first singles match win in 430 days. In the post-match presser, Serena sparked intrigue in discussing what motivates her to compete into her 40s.

“I guess there’s just a light at the end of the tunnel,” Williams said while laughing. "I guess I'm getting closer to that light so, yeah, lately that's been it for me. ... I can't wait to get that light. I'm not joking."

Serena last won a grand slam tournament in 2017, defeating Venus in straight sets at the Australian Open. Serena Williams has said that she was pregnant during the tournament.

Williams said in the interview she did not like the term "retirement" and preferred to view this transitory period of her life as "evolving away" into her family life and business pursuits.

Born in Michigan but raised in Compton, California, the Williams sisters relocated to Palm Beach County in the late 1980s to study under renowned coach Rick Macci.

"It was one of the best times in my life because when I got involved with that, I knew that there was no doubt, even at 10 and 11-years-old, that they would be No. 1 in the world and transcend the sport," Macci said in November 2021.

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"I said it on TV, in the press and I called it. I just knew what it would become."

The Williams sisters move to Palm Beach County was documented in the 2021 blockbuster biopic "King Richard," which starred Will Smith as the Williams sisters' father, Richard.

"King Richard" earned six Academy Award nominations and four Golden Globe nominations with Smith winning multiple major awards for his portrayal.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Eric J. Wallace can be reached at ejwallace@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Serena Williams announces retirement from tennis after 2022 U.S. Open