EDITORIAL

Friday, September 2, 2022, marked the final match of esteemed tennis player Serena Williams’s professional career. The match proved to be not only emotional for Williams herself, but for many of her longtime supporters, as well. In the packed stands of the Arthur Ashe Stadium in the U.S. Open in New York City, tears streamed, smiles broadened, and admiration and respect flowed for the legendary player, also known as “the Greatest of All Time.'' Cameras inside the stadium captured a wide range of emotions from young impressionable fans to high-profile figures to her own family, all representing the emotional reactions of us all to the close of her professional tennis career. The outpouring of support for Williams extended outside the court to the 4.8 million who watched her on TV, making her match against Australian Ajla Tomljanovic the most-watched tennis telecast in ESPN history. Similarly to how her large base of supporters extends beyond the court, her impact has and continues to extend beyond the court as she leads and supports initiatives such as her own venture capital firm, Serena Ventures, her fashion brand, SERENA, her role as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 2011, along with many other impressive accomplishments. On the court, Williams boasts 23 Grand Slam titles, 73 career singles titles, four Olympic gold medals, 319 weeks at No.94 million dollars in career prize money, and the list continues. Her multifaceted presence on and off the court as a female Black athlete, mom, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and activist continues to inspire people across the globe as she stands as a symbol of powerful and strong women and a role model to many. To Coco Gauff, the eighteen-year-old American tennis star of our generation, Williams taught her to “never settle for less” and impacted her “beyond words” – both a testimony to the inspirational character of Williams. Recognizing her own impact on women athletes, Williams stated she would “like to think that thanks to me, women athletes can be themselves.” Her acknowledgment and pride in her own impact on other women prove and support her role as an iconic pillar of confidence, power, and leadership as she continues to be a champion for women all over the world. And while many of her supporters have expressed their devastation following her departure from the arena of professional tennis, she, herself has expressed in her editorial for Vogue that she views her departure not as “retirement,” a word she “never liked,” but as an “evolution” of herself and her identity. As she enters this new stage of transition in her life, Williams will continue to impress us with her many successful endeavors and remain the “Greatest of All Time” on and off the court.