Re: Serena's retirement & Related

[ashkor87]

https://www.tennis.com/news/articles/se ... zine-cover

Serena to retire!

[ashkor87]

https://www.vogue.com/article/serena-wi ... -own-words

Lovely article by her

[ponchi101]

This deserves its own topic.

[ptmcmahon]

Looks like she'll get to go out somewhat on her own terms and end it where it should end.

And yes that was a great read.

As an older sibling with younger siblings who were the more successful athletes I've always related more with Venus myself Plus wasn't a huge fan because of the occasional "incidents". But definitely was entertaining to watch all these years.

[the Moz]

She's a legend. End of.

[atlpam]

It mentions a few weeks which sounds like the US Open will be her final event.

[ptmcmahon]

It would be a huge surprise to end it anywhere else.

[meganfernandez]

It would be a huge surprise to end it anywhere else.

I thought Wimbledon or Paris. She seems to like those events/places better. The US Open has been the site of some ugly incidents. But it's also where it all started for her in 1999, and of course media-wise it's better. But I wasn't sure she cared about the media element surrounding her retirement.

The tournament won't know how long she will last in the draw, so they have to be ready for ceremonies and such in R1 but not really know. The logistics will be a nightmare. Unless Serena agrees to a ceremony on a set date. Any celebrity involvement will have to be planned, not sponteneous.

[ponchi101]

I've never been a fan of favoritism, but having her play anywhere other than Ashe would be improper planning. And is should be the last match of either session, giving the tournament time to hold a ceremony and not affect other players.

[ptmcmahon]

It would be a huge surprise to end it anywhere else.

I thought Wimbledon or Paris. She seems to like those events/places better. The US Open has been the site of some ugly incidents. But it's also where it all started for her in 1999, and of course media-wise it's better. But I wasn't sure she cared about the media element surrounding her retirement.

The tournament won't know how long she will last in the draw, so they have to be ready for ceremonies and such in R1 but not really know. The logistics will be a nightmare. Unless Serena agrees to a ceremony on a set date. Any celebrity involvement will have to be planned, not sponteneous.

True. I guess I should say given the timing of the announcement it would have been surprising not to be there. Can't see her announce it and then playing until next Summer.

[ti-amie]

The end of an era in women's tennis. Based on the current crop it will be a long time before a woman dominates tennis the way she has. I've always been more of a Venus fan but their father said it would be Serena and he was right.

The biggest reveal tennis wise is that she too has a therapist.

[JTContinental]

The end of an era in women's tennis. Based on the current crop it will be a long time before a woman dominates tennis the way she has. I've always been more of a Venus fan but their father said it would be Serena and he was right.

The biggest reveal tennis wise is that she too has a therapist.

Same—I’ve always loved Venus and merely liked Serena. Somehow this news is still a little devastating, even if it was sort of expected

[meganfernandez]

The biggest reveal tennis wise is that she too has a therapist.

For me, it was her good prognosis for having more children, given her difficulties with Olympia and her age. Maybe she'll have a surrogate. I figured having more kids would bring her career to an end very soon.

I actually thought the article could have been sooooo much better. It's perfectly fine, but with Serena's story, it could have been utterly mind-blowing. The ghostwriter, Rob Haskell, probably wasn't the person for that job. He writes about a lot of female stars for Vogue, but not well, IMO. This is a decent story for a mass audience, not so great for a tennis audience. I hope someone gets a better tennis-centric interview. I'm sure she will write a biography.

[Canucklehead]

When I heard she was going to retire possibly after the US Open event, I thought this could not be a better scenario set for her. The place that started her Slam career back in 1999 could be where she steps aside from the game that she has become the greatest women's player ever. I cannot even imagine how electric every one of her matches will be when she steps on the court every time at the US Open. She has given so much to the game of tennis and I hope the US Open gives her the send off she deserves.

[meganfernandez]

When I heard she was going to retire possibly after the US Open event, I thought this could not be a better scenario set for her. The place that started her Slam career back in 1999 could be where she steps aside from the game that she has become the greatest women's player ever. I cannot even imagine how electric every one of her matches will be when she steps on the court every time at the US Open. She has given so much to the game of tennis and I hope the US Open gives her the send off she deserves.

Question is, when do the stars show up to watch? When does Beyonce put it on her schedule? Every match?

I've never been a fan of favoritism, but having her play anywhere other than Ashe would be improper planning. And is should be the last match of either session, giving the tournament time to hold a ceremony and not affect other players.

She will play every match on Ashe. As far as a ceremony. I bet she will be part of the planning. She might not want it right after a loss. After the last match could be too late, if it turns out to be midnight. I think they would rather make the second match of the session wait for her.

I wonder if they would name a stadium after her, but only Grandstand is available, and I'm not sure she would want the third-largest stadium. Maybe they wait for a new arena years from now