Retirement of 2 of the Greatest Tennis Players
September 21, 2022
Serena Williams
Serena Williams has been playing tennis for 27 years, starting in 1995 at the age of 14. She has won 73 single titles, 858 singles games, and an Olympic gold medal. Williams won her first major title at the US Open at the age of 17. In 2002, she won three of the four major titles, then in 2003, she won the Australian Open. These four wins are titled to be the “Serena Slam.” In total Williams has won 23 grand slam titles (singles).
Serena Williams’ biggest competitor is her sister Venus Williams. Although Serena Williams has won more matches, finals, and grand slams than Venus, they have still proven to be an awe-inspiring duo. Together the sisters have won a Wimbledon doubles trophy and Olympic gold medals for doubles.
The reason for Williams’ retirement is she now wants to focus on growing her family. She wants her daughter, Olympia to have siblings, as Serena herself comes from a big family. Throughout Serena’s career she has supported several charities. In 2014, she founded her own organization known as the “Serena Williams Fund.” The main goal of the organization is to create equality and promote education for kids in other countries. Williams has partnered with other organizations to design and build schools.
Roger Federer
Roger Federer is a Swiss tennis player who has won 20 grand slam titles with 103 tour single titles. He has ranked No.1 for 310 weeks which equates to about 6 years. In total, he has won over $130,000,000 in prize money. Even when playing little to none, Federer has remained the top paid athlete in 2020.
His biggest rival over the years has been Rafael Nadal. They share the longest tennis rivalry which has lasted since 2004. However, Nadal is not the only rival of Federer. Novak Djokovic has proven to be a great competitor for Federer. Both players have been evenly matched for each other over the years. With Federer getting more wins and Djokovic sustaining the lead.
Federer has decided to retire due to his injuries and surgeries over the years. “But I also know my body’s capacities and limits, and its message to me lately has been clear,” Federer states. During Federer’s career he founded the “Roger Federer Foundation” in 2003. The mission of the foundation is to give children an education by creating and further developing existing educational programs. The Roger Federer Foundation focuses on the region of southern Africa and Switzerland. Over 1.98 million children have received an education and benefited over the past 19 years.
