Good for her. She's accomplished an amazing amount in her tennis career. I say "tennis career," because she has many more irons in the fire.

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She's accomplished an amazing amount in her tennis career. I say "tennis career," because she has many more irons in the fire.

Yep! I've always been a big fan, even though I hardly follow tennis.

I saw her play once in the days when her sister was still the better player.

Honestly I lost interest in her when she got all ‘roided out.

I must admit that I'm a bit shocked (naively so, most likely) at the amount of vitriol that her announcement is generating--particularly from men.

One comment from a man that I can't get out of my mind, paraphrased, was something like "She had more help than any female in history. No sympathy from me."

I wondered if this guy was married. If so, it's likely that he had "help" maintaining and advancing in his career. You know, in the form of a wife, jackass. Oh, but I guess that doesn't count since she's supposed to do that. It's not like it's real work she does....



This is why I should never, ever read the comments in an article.

Right there with you, Nina.

I am so happy for her and that VOGUE cover is the GOAT!!!

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"She had more help than any female in history. No sympathy from me."

What does that even mean? What pro tennis player doesn’t get coached their whole childhood and career? And why ‘sympathy’? It’s not the emotion I’d expect anyone to feel about someone’s retirement, unless it was forced on them through tragedy.

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What does that even mean? What pro tennis player doesn’t get coached their whole childhood and career? And why ‘sympathy’? It’s not the emotion I’d expect anyone to feel about someone’s retirement, unless it was forced on them through tragedy.

Indeed! And re coaching etc., all athletes, pianists, actors... who else goes in there? Well all of us, probably. None of us got where we are with help.

And re sympathy, isn't she like around 40? This seems like a normal age for a pro athlete to retire, or maybe even on the old side. But I don't know what at age pro tennis players usually retire.

I have to say . . . . I have always believed that Serena used performance-enhancing drugs. In her youth around before 2004, she was on top for a good long while, and rightfully so. She had a powerful, athletic build. Then she starting not winning majors, went away for a bit and came back much bigger and much stronger. And for some strange reason, she developed blood clots that almost killed her, a few years before she had her child and then again during and after the pregnancy. Some PEDs cause blood clotting disorders (according to a hematologist I met at a cocktail party).

She's not the only one, clearly. Maria Sharapova could barely win a match once she had to give up her performance-enhancing drug of choice.

Oh, and let's not forget the possibility that the tour helped her cover up a drug suspension. Remember in 2010 when she was playing well and all, and then she shows up with a boot on her leg right after Wimbledon. Yeah, see. She was in a Munich restaurant wearing flip flops (as filthy rich superstars tend to do), and she stepped on broken glass that cut a tendon in her foot or something. Except that she played an exhibition the day after the supposed injury. And you would think if a celebrity like Serena Williams slices up her foot in a restaurant, there would be, you know, witnesses. Nope, no witnesses, no restaurant owner. She didn't play for six months. Things that make ya go hmmmmmm.

Serena did a lot for the sport, which is nice. I was just never a fan of her ball-bashing style. It was ugly to watch, her footwork was atrocious, and she often appeared to be super amped up (breathing hard due to stress rather than exertion), given to bursts of anger that she didn't display in her pre-doping days. Threatening to shove a ball down a lines-person's throat?

I adore Venus, though. She is a class act.

I'm sorry, I had fogotten how fishy the "I cut my foot to ribbons in a Munich restaurant" story was.

From the Guardian:

"But despite the $6.5m hit to her earnings caused by the incident, the restaurant that put one of the sport's greatest players out for a year has never been identified, let alone sued. This is all a bit strange, since Bild, a German tabloid every bit as voracious in its appetite for celebrity news as our own red tops, is based in Munich and, despite making inquiries, has never found anyone who knew of the incident. These facts, as well as her having played against Kim Clijsters in Belgium the following day, and that she was photographed five days later in high heels and with a sticky plaster on top of her foot, have led people to ask questions. So many questions, in fact, that Williams has felt obliged to respond."

AND this is what her male hitting partner said about the incident:

"Serena Williams’ longtime hitting partner and friend Sasha Bijan tells the Serbian newspaper Vecernje Novosti that on the night she cut both of her feet in a Munich restaurant, she had just had a pedicure and was wearing slippers, when a waiter dropped a glass on her feet. "It was the most blood in my life have I seen, even in films by Quentin Tarantino," Bijan said."

I'm sorry, but that is just not credible.

Zero chance she wasn’t roided up. Literally none whatsoever.

At some point a few years ago (maybe close to 10), Google stopped autofilling “steroids” after her name. Even if you typed “Serena Williams steroi..” it wouldn’t suggest the rest of the word.

Who do you have to know, or how much do you have to pay, for such an intervention?

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Originally posted by Cindysphinx:
I adore Venus, though. She is a class act.

Couldn’t agree more.

She's been doing a business deal with Prince Harry-- life coaching. He's the last person who should be doing this scam job.

I think they had a falling out. I can't remember. She was one of the, "rented celebrities" at the wedding.

I know she had a falling out with Meghan after attending her baby shower in New York.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled program.