The feminist speech of Serena Williams that rumbles again after her withdrawal

Serena Williams he will not continue to play tennis professionally after the US Open, which takes place at the end of August. The American athlete, considered by many to be the best tennis player in historyannounced her retirement last Tuesday through an open letter in Vogue magazine, in which she stated that she was “prepared for what comes next”, despite admitting that “it is the hardest thing I could have imagined”.

“I have been reluctant to admit that I have to stop playing tennis. It’s like a taboo subject. He shows up and I start crying. I think the only person I’ve really gone there with is my therapist. […] Perhaps the best word to describe what I’m doing is evolution. I am here to tell you that I am walking away from tennis, towards other things that are important to me. A few years ago I quietly started Serena Ventures, a venture capital firm. Shortly after that, I started a family. I want to grow that family, “acknowledged Serena Williams, who will turn 41 in September.

The feminist legacy of Serena Williams

After hearing the news of his withdrawal, thousands of people have not hesitated to praise his legacyhighlighting everything she has achieved on the courts – she has accumulated 23 Grand Slams (seven Australian Opens, seven Wimbledons, three Roland Garros and six US Opens) and is the woman who has been number 1 in the WTA ranking for the longest time with 319 weeks, among other successes.

However, Williams not only leaves behind a path that is difficult to match on the courts. Their career has also been marked by a strong opposition to racism and machismo. In this sense, the networks have returned to rescue some forceful words that he pronounced in July 2019, after being asked about the criticism he was receiving at that time for, supposedly, concentrating more on defending feminism than on improving his level of tennis.

“The day I stop fighting for equality and for people like you and me, will be the day I’m in the grave.” Williams stressed in the press conference after losing the Wimbledon final against the Romanian Simona Halep.

.@Serena Williams “The day I stop fighting will be the day I’m in my grave” ?#Wimbledon #Serena pic.twitter.com/GtbVYX3CjN

— ESPN Sports (@ESPNDeportes) July 13, 2019

“Obviously my thoughts are not the same as when I was 20 years old. Now in every final that I play, everyone hopes that I can come out victorious. In these last few months, every final I’ve played I’ve had to make a huge effort to get to it”, he added.