The bright lights of the Arthur Ashe stadium shine onto Serena Williams and her opponent Ajla Tomljanović. The seats are full; no empty chairs in sight. The crowd roars as Serena throws the ball up and slams it down with her powerful serve. Serena already has the advantage to win the point. However, she missed her opportunity and lost the final game of her career at the 2022 US open. The people in the stands still cheer her on, and then fans start to get emotional. 

That was superstar tennis player Serena Williams’ last game of tennis as a professional.

Serena was 14 years old when she became a professional. Even though she was young, she was an unbelievably talented tennis player. Williams’s 27-year-long career had its ups and downs; she had successes and losses, however, she persevered through everything and became known as one of the best female tennis players in the world. From her childhood in Michigan being taught by her father to her 23 grand slam titles and her last US Open this recent September, she has proved to be a very capable and powerful woman. 

“She is definitely the GOAT of women’s sports in general, especially tennis, she is someone that’s achieved at the highest, highest levels,” Ms. Strassler, a history teacher at the iSchool,  explains. “I think especially being a woman that was from a background that wasn’t necessarily privileged and known to excel in tennis historically. So it’s inspiring to see her and her sister come up the ranks and do well,” Ms. Strassler, iSchool history teacher, added. 

As successful as her career was, she worked hard for everything she did. 

Her childhood revolved around tennis; The Britannica source, “Serena Williams – American Tennis player” mentioned that “It was Richard Williams who largely taught them the sport, taking the two girls to the public courts in the area…the sisters spent long hours practicing.” 

Serena and Venus were naturally talented at the game of tennis, however, their family did not have enough money growing up to pay for lessons or memberships at a country club. So, their dad Richard taught Serena and Venus everything they know. Not only did he teach them to be outstanding tennis players, but he also influenced them to be overall well-rounded people. 

The sisters really touched young girls in tennis. Jami Rothenberg, a parent of a student at the iSchool, says she has some tennis experience: “I took lessons as a kid, and I really loved playing tennis. I wasn’t very competitive and I didn’t win a lot but I played for my high school team.” Jami mentioned that as a child she wanted someone like Serena to look up to: “She and her sister did not really come to the scene until I was a bit older and wasn’t playing anymore, and I remember wishing that I had her as a role model when I was a young girl.”

An anonymous source shares that Serena Williams inspired them “because Serena shows the tennis community and fans that your background doesn’t have to affect your professional career if you don’t let it.” 

Serena and Venus had a hard childhood, but they didn’t let that stop them. In 1991 the Williams family moved to Florida to get Venus and Serena’s careers started. In 1994, Venus became professional, and one year later, in 1995, so did Serena. 

The sisters quickly started competing, however, Venus’s career sparked faster and her success was greater for some time. However, once Serena was she won almost every tournament she played in. “They attracted much attention, many predicted Venus would be the first Williams sister to win a Grand Slam singles title, but it was Serena who accomplished the feat, winning the 1999 U.S. Open.” The Britannica source mentions. 

That same year, Venus and Serena won their first doubles tournament together, and throughout their whole careers, they won 14 more doubles tournaments. 

According to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, “Serena Williams holds the most major singles, doubles, and mixed doubles titles combined among all active tennis players.” Clearly, Serena is over-the-top amazing at tennis and she definitely shows it in her games. 

In August, Serena announced she will be retiring from tennis after the 2022 US open. She lost in the third round of the games, and confirmed that she was retiring. 

Her career was very long, and over time she got many fans to watch her. Now that she’s retired, her supporters are very emotional about it. “Her career definitely ended on a good note, I mean the whole world of sports were commenting on every game she played and the US open and everybody has definitely celebrated all her accomplishments,” Ms. Strassler said. “I don’t think it will be the end of her playing tennis but I think her retirement was a good farewell,” she added.

Serena will definitely not be forgotten: “I feel like she made a really beautiful stamp on the sport and on women in sports in general, I did feel really conflicted about her career ending because she and her sister have been so fun to watch forever, but she did change tennis in so many beautiful ways,” Jami Rothenberg states. 

“I don’t think she will go unnoticed after her retirement, she will definitely still be a big thing for tennis and for tennis fans like myself. The community of tennis will definitely change but in no bad ways,” says an anonymous source. Serena changed tennis in so many ways. For example, she represented women of color and all their capabilities. 

According to  Statista, Serena was the highest-paid women athlete from 2016 to 2019. She proved that you don’t need money and a lot of privileges as a child to be successful growing up. 

She shows off her beauty as a person of color and dresses in any way she feels comfortable. “She shook up the sport by challenging what women were expected to wear in tennis, she brought glamor to her outfits in a way that other players haven’t done before. In a way, she broke the standard which is so important, especially to women in particular,” Jami mentions. 

Not long before Serena retired, there was a movie made about her family growing up, especially her dad who taught her and Venus everything they know. The 2021 movie was called  “King Richard, ” and it did very well in theaters, it got a 98% on rotten tomatoes. “It was actually really educational. It focused a lot on not just Serena but her whole family and I liked being able to see what it was like for her and Venus to be taught by their dad,” says an anonymous source. 

Serena Williams is a worldwide superstar who never failed to influence and inspire young girls, people of color, and women in general. She changed the world of tennis and outside of tennis in so many ways and put so many smiles on people’s faces.