Serena Willams Says She’s “Not Retired”

October 25, 2022 / Posted by:

If you look in the dictionary, the word “retired” is defined as “having left one’s job and ceased to work.” Clearly, that definition does not compute with forever high school jock Tom Brady, as his un-retired season costs him much more than he bargained for. Now we might be adding Serena Williams to that list, who teased us with her own retirement in September, but may be reconsidering her word jumble of gibberish after making the comment that she is “not retired” from tennis.

Serena has definitely proven herself to be one of the greatest people to ever slam balls toward faces than Mr. Marcus., but in the weeks following her retirement, she’s having a “Hold up, wait…?” moment. According to People, Serena recently informed everyone the word “retirement” means nothing to her. And a return to sweating and grunting while attacking her opponents with little balls isn’t necessarily off the table just yet.

During an appearance at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco, the 41-year-old athlete said she is “not retired,” according to The SF Standard.

While she “still” hasn’t “really thought about” retirement, Williams said a recent experience on the tennis court “felt very weird” after she realized she’s no longer “playing for a competition.”

Translation (in my Lady Gaga voice) “I live for the applause, APPLAUSE!” because it can’t be easy going from thousands of people screaming your name to hearing a toddler yell “MOMMY!!!” as soon as you open your eyes from a full night’s rest. But once again, people love to run with half of the story in hopes that one of their favorite athletes is ready to entertain them. The Huffington Post reports Serena said what she said, but there’s a little more to the story. Does she want to return to the court to make minced meat out of tennis upstarts who believe they’re the next Serena? Maybe. But her original response was just a joke, and she is enjoying her tennis uncoupling without the pressures of being a pro.

A more complete look at the Oct. 19 exchange with TechCrunch deputy editor Jordan Crook dims the prospect of the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion playing high-level matches again.

Crook noted Williams’ aversion to the word “retired” and the court queen said, “I’m not retired.”

“What are the chances that we get to see you play again?” Crook asked.

“The chances are very high,” Williams replied, and that was interpreted as a sign that a comeback was probable.

But the complete answer wasn’t so promising.

“The chances are very high. You come to my house, I got a court,” Williams said, appearing to joke.

“I’m definitely cashing in on that,” Crook noted.

“I did go on the court the other day and [realized] for the first time in my life that I’m not playing for a competition and that felt very weird,” Williams said, per the San Francisco Standard. “It was like the first day of the rest of my life, and so far, I am enjoying it. But I’m still trying to find that balance.”

I don’t know; this coy response gives me Tom Brady vibes, but let me give you some advice Serena; Stay home. Just like in the early days of the pandemic. And if you need to thrill audiences again, just invite a few friends to your house to watch you play against a nanny or a cook while you leisurely lounge on a settee while holding a tennis racket in one hand and a refreshing beverage in the other. SPOILER ALERT: she’ll still beat them both.

Listen to Serena’s full response below.

Pic: Robert Bell/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images

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