Aspiring youth tennis athletes in D.C. are reflecting on how Serena Williams and her legacy have inspired them after she announced her upcoming retirement.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion and cultural icon told Vogue in a magazine article Tuesday that she plans to retire from the sport after next month’s US Open.
For decades, Williams has won titles around the world and served as a role model for upcoming players, including those at the Washington Tennis and Education Foundation in Southeast D.C.
Tensley Adams is one of the foundation's many players who said they will miss seeing Williams serve up inspiration.
“I think she sets examples for kids everywhere that play tennis,” Adams said.
Another player, Zoey Gaither, said she looks up to Williams as a role model.
“Serena means a lot to me because when she plays, she never gives up and she perseveres through her matches,” Gaither said.
That perseverance won Williams 23 Grand Slam singles titles over her career, the first of which she won in 1999 at just 17 years old, according to the US Open.
She also holds 14 Grand Slam doubles titles that she won alongside her sister Venus.
“I think they’re good and they started off in a rough neighborhood and came up,” Adams said.
Although her future may no longer include professional tennis, Williams talked to Vogue about starting a new chapter in her life.
In the article, Williams said she never liked the word “retirement” and instead preferred the word “evolution.” She said she and her husband plan to have another child, and that she doesn’t want to be pregnant again as an athlete.
“I feel a great deal of pain. It’s the hardest thing that I could ever imagine… I’m torn: I don’t want it to be over, but at the same time I’m ready for what’s next,” Williams said to Vogue.
As Williams enters a new chapter, her fans, such as Junior Tennis Champions Center tennis player Kai Wells, said they’ll cheer her on every step of the way.
“I’m really excited to see what she does next, and I just hope that whatever it is, it works out for her,” Wells said.
As many tennis enthusiasts can agree, Williams is a player who changed the game for past generations and those still to come. Her legacy of inspiration is what prompts young players, such as Gaither, to extend Williams their gratitude for her inspiration.
“I wanted to say thank you for being a good role model for me and the reason why I’m still playing tennis,” Gaither said.
