Serena Williams is retiring from tennis, although not immediately.

‘It’s the hardest thing that I could ever imagine,’ the legendary tennis has announced in the latest issue of Vogue. ‘I don’t want it to be over, but at the same time I’m ready for what’s next’

Williams’s retirement is not immediate. As she revealed in her piece, she is still hopeful she can play at the US Open in New York later this month.

‘Unfortunately, I wasn’t ready to win Wimbledon this year,’ Williams wrote. ‘And I don’t know if I will be ready to win New York. But I’m going to try. And the lead-up tournaments will be fun.

‘But I’m not looking for some ceremonial, final on-court moment,’ she continued. ‘I’m terrible at goodbyes, the world’s worst. But please know that I am more grateful for you than I can ever express in words. You have carried me to so many wins and so many trophies. I’m going to miss that version of me, that girl who played tennis. And I’m going to miss you.’

Williams not only wants to spend more time with her husband, Alexis, and their five-year-old, Olympia, but the 23-time Grand Slam singles winner revealed that the couple is trying to have another child in the near future. 

‘In the last year, Alexis and I have been trying to have another child, and we recently got some information from my doctor that put my mind at ease and made me feel that whenever we’re ready, we can add to our family,’ Williams wrote. ‘I definitely don’t want to be pregnant again as an athlete. I need to be two feet into tennis or two feet out.’

The announcement comes, strangely enough, after her first win in 430 days.

‘I’m just happy to get a win,’ Williams said Monday after beating Nuria Parrizas-Diaz 6-3, 6-4 at the women’s National Bank Open. ‘It’s been a very long time, I forgot what that felt like.’