In August 2022, the sports world absorbed a seismic shift when Serena Williams, arguably the greatest tennis player of all time, announced she was “evolving away” from the sport. She articulated this in a deeply personal essay for Vogue, expressing a distinct dislike for the word “retirement,” preferring to frame her departure as a transition toward family life and other passions.

Her final, thrilling run at the 2022 US Open—culminating in a third-round loss to Ajla Tomljanovic—felt like a fitting, emotional final act to a 27-year career defined by 23 Grand Slam singles titles and a relentless competitive fire. For someone whose entire life, from a toddler holding a racket in Compton to the pinnacle of global sports, had been meticulously structured around the pursuit of perfection on the

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