Serena Williams got the entire tennis world emotional when she announced her decision to call it a day during the US Open 2022. However, not many know that the American legend wasn’t really planning to play a farewell match but was advised by a friend to do so.
ESPN released an 8-episode documentary series named ‘In the Arena: Serena Williams’, based on various unknown facts about the 23-time Grand Slam champion. The last episode of the series premiered on Wednesday and featured Williams talking about her retirement.
Talking about her farewell plan, the 6-time US Open champion revealed that she couldn’t bring herself to return to the court after her 2021 Wimbledon injury heartbreak and decided to bid adieu to the sport.
Though she tried to lift herself up to perform again, she couldn’t. However, Jill Smoller, her long-time agent, then advised her to end her legendary career on a ‘high note’ and at least play a farewell match.
“It was really a very difficult decision to make. But also think of that moment, you need a coach that tells you like you should continue. This is how you should end your career and in fact, for me, that was Joe who did that to me. She wasn’t my coach but she was someone that was a really good friend at that moment,” Williams was quoted as saying in the documentary.
Smoller then revealed what she had said to the tennis legend that made her change the decision.
“She was like I am not playing, I am done. She hadn’t played in probably 8-9 months. What I said to her was your last match can’t be that match. You have done too much, earned too much, you deserve to be celebrated.”
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Williams then further elaborated on how the words impacted her:
“That’s what I needed to hear. I needed to hear, let’s not end your career walking off the court at Wimbledon crying. Let’s get up, and let’s end it on a high note and that’s ultimately what she told me.”
Smoller played a very crucial role in making Serena extremely marketable as an athlete across the world. She has been her long-time confidante too in whom she could trust and as a result, make good decisions about her career, finances and life in general.
Serena Williams’ farewell tour
After having to bow out of the first round at 2021 Wimbledon due to an injury sustained in the match, Williams directly returned to action in June 2022. In the same season, she lost her first-round clash at Wimbledon and in September 2022, hinted at her approaching retirement.
The 2022 US Open turned out to be her last tournament and Grand Slam on the tour, where she could not get past the third round and lost her final match to Ajla Tomljanović. She didn’t stop shedding tears during her farewell speech and thanked her parents, sister and all her fans for their support throughout her iconic tennis journey.
“It’s been the most incredible ride and journey I’ve ever been on, I mean, in my life. I’m just so grateful to every single person that’s ever said, Go, Serena, in their life. I’m just so grateful. Yeah, I mean, you got me here,” Serena expressed her gratitude towards everyone who helped her in becoming the legend she is.
Williams is regarded as one of the most iconic and legendary tennis players to have ever stepped on to the court. She redefined women’s tennis and won everything that was there to claim in the game. Not just the titles and trophies, but she also managed to won hearts of billions of people who even today look up to her.
