Serena Williams, one of the most decorated athletes in his generation, reluctantly planning to retire from professional tennis so that he can focus on growing his family. Grand Slam champion 23 times explained his decision in a cover story in Vogue Magazine, which was published Tuesday. He said he did not want to choose between his career and had more children, but almost 41, “something must be given.” “I think it’s not fair,” Williams said. “If I am a man, I will not write this because I will play out there and win when my wife does physical work to expand our family. Maybe I will be more than Tom Brady if I once had that opportunity.”
Williams did not provide a schedule for his official retirement. He suggested he would compete in the US Open, which began later this month in New York “Unfortunately I am not ready to win Wimbledon this year,” he said. “And I don’t know if I will be ready to win New York. But I’ll try.” Williams and her husband, Reddit Co-Founder Alexis Ohanian, have tried to have more children in the past year, he said, after giving birth to their daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian, in 2017. After tennis, Williams also plans to focus on the Venture Capital Company, Serena Ventures, which mainly invests in a business that starts by women and color people. While Williams’s situation is unique, many women in the US find themselves withdrawing from their careers to care for their families. A 2019 study by the Pew Research Center found that 54% of mothers who worked said they needed to reduce their working hours because of their family life, compared to 44% of fathers.
The tennis champion wrote in the 2018 OP-ED for CNN that he almost died after giving birth after pulmonary embolism triggered many complications. Still, Williams said he could have won more titles: “The way I see it, I should have 30-Plus Grand Slams.” I have a chance after returning from giving birth, “Williams said.” I switched from a caesarean section to the second pulmonary embolism to the Grand Slam final. I play while breastfeeding. I play through postpartum depression. But I didn’t get there. “
Even without medical problems, elite female athletes have spoken before how difficult it is to get pregnant or postpartum and maintain their sponsors. Nike does not have a pregnancy leave policy for its athletes until after the 2019 report from the Alysia Montano Olympiad runner at the New York Times which explains how it is almost impossible to be financially pregnant and professional athletes. Nike, the main sponsor of Williams, did not immediately respond to messages asking for comments. Family leave
For American women who are not in Williams’s financial position, the situation is even more terrible. The US, unlike most other high -income countries, does not guarantee anything to workers if they become parents or sick, making Americans estimate $ 22.5 billion per year in wages, according to the Think Tank Center for the advancement of America. Family and medical leave law allows some people to take leave for up to 12 weeks if they have a baby, but do not guarantee payment or apply to those who work for small businesses or themselves.
Williams said before he had a child, he assumed he would “ask the people who treated him 24/7.”
“I will not lie-I will definitely get a lot of support. But I’m also a very practical mother,” he said. “In five years, Olympia only spent a period of 24 hours from me.”That’s not an option for most women. The US also does not offer subsidies to help pay childcare so parents can return to work. Around 53 million people – especially women – provide unpaid care to family members or friends at an annual value estimated at $ 188 billion.For Williams, the decision to leave a hinged tennis because he could have more children, who he said the doctor assured him was possible.