Serena has been on Vogue so many times; it feels right and correct that she turned to them for such a big piece. The cover is, I think, lovely if a bit wistful, and that’s certainly a tone that might not be selling Fall Fashion!!! but it absolutely matches the tenor of the accompanying essay. (And Olympia is so cute back there!)
The title of the piece is Serena Williams Says Farewell to Tennis On Her Own Terms—And In Her Own Words, and it’s an excellent read even though Serena is definitely hedging her bets on when she is actually going to stop playing tennis; the best I can extrapolate from it is that she’s going to do the US Open and then that’s probably gonna be the end of the road. (She says she’s having a hard time making this call and you can tell; personally, I hope she and Venus decide to play doubles until they fall over because I think they would basically just ruin folks for the next twenty years and it would be fun for them and for us.). It’s a good piece to spend some time with, especially if you are a tennis fan. I sort of got choked up at the end:
But please know that I am more grateful for you than I can ever express in words. You have carried me to so many wins and so many trophies. I’m going to miss that version of me, that girl who played tennis. And I’m going to miss you.
The photo that closes the piece is really beautiful and joyous, too. We’re going to miss you on the court, too, Serena!
