Tennis Great Serena Williams Retires After 27 Years
Tennis superstar Serena Williams ended her career last Friday with a loss to Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic in the US Open. Ms. Williams, who’s 40, has been playing pro tennis for 27 years. Many people consider her to be the greatest female tennis player ever.
Ms. Williams won her first Grand Slam tournament at the US Open in 1999, at age 17. She has now won 23 Grand Slam singles tournaments. Playing with her sister, Venus, she has won 14 Grand Slam doubles tournaments. Ms. Williams has also won four Olympic gold medals.
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Serena Williams ended her tennis career last Friday at the US Open. Many people consider her to be the greatest female tennis player ever. She has won 23 Grand Slam singles tournaments and 14 Grand Slam doubles tournaments. Above, Ms. Williams waves to the crowd after her loss on Friday.
Over her long career, Ms. Williams has inspired many young people to play tennis. She has also bounced back several times from serious injuries.
But in August, Ms. Williams announced that she was going to retire. As she played her last game, the crowd cheered wildly for her. “It’s been a fun ride,” she said after the match. “It’s been the most incredible ride and journey I’ve ever been on in my life.”
WNBA Star Sue Bird Ends a 20-year Career
Basketball star Sue Bird played her last game in the WNBA on Tuesday. Her Seattle Storm team lost in the fourth game of the playoffs to the Las Vegas Aces. The game brings an end to Ms. Bird’s 20-year career in the WNBA with the Seattle Storm.
Ms. Bird, 41, is one of the greatest female basketball players ever. When she played for the University of Connecticut, her team won two NCAA championships. She went on to win four WNBA championships, gold medals in five different Olympics, and four FIBA Basketball World Cups.
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Sue Bird played her last game in the WNBA on Tuesday, ending a 20-year career. Ms. Bird, one of the greatest female basketball players ever, has won four WNBA championships and gold medals in five different Olympics. Above, Ms. Bird takes a shot during last summer’s Olympics in Tokyo.
Ms. Bird is excellent at both shooting and passing. During her time on the Storm, 33% of the teams’ baskets came from either Ms. Bird’s shots or shots that were the results of her passes.
In June, Ms. Bird announced that she would be retiring. On her final night, the fans let her know that they loved her. They held up signs and chanted loudly, “Thank you, Sue!!!”
Olympic Champion Allyson Felix Retires After 19 Years
Allyson Felix is a runner who has won more medals (20) in the World Athletics Championships than any other athlete, male or female. Ms. Felix has competed in five different Olympic Games, and won 11 medals, including seven gold medals. That’s more Olympic medals than any other woman in track and field history.
Ms. Felix, now 36, earned her first Olympic medal in 2004, at the age of 18. Since then, she has been running almost without stop, winning medal after medal. She focuses on sprints – short, fast races, running distances of 100, 200, and 400 meters, including relay races.
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Allyson Felix is a runner who has won more medals (20) in the World Athletics Championships than any other athlete, male or female. Ms. Felix has competed in five different Olympic Games, and won 11 medals, including seven gold medals. Above, Ms. Felix after a 2021 race in Paris.
In 2018, Ms. Felix had a baby girl. At the time, Ms. Felix was paid by Nike to promote their products. When Nike tried to pay her less while she was pregnant, she criticized the company. As a result, Nike later changed its rules.
Ms. Felix ran her last race in August. But she’ll stay busy. She’s started a company that makes shoes. She’s also working to help provide childcare for female athletes, so they don’t have to choose between competing and being mothers.
(Front page image: Williams: si.robi [CC BY-SA 2.0], Bird: SusanLesch [CC BY 4.0], Felix: Fernando Frazão/Agência Brasil [CC BY 3.0 BR], all via Wikimedia Commons.)