Serena Williams recently announced her retirement from tennis after a sterling career that has included 23 Grand Slam singles titles, the second-most of all time. She recently sat down with The Onion to look back on the most memorable moments of her career.
1984: “I first picked up a racket when I was 3. I thought it was a snowshoe. To this day, I wish it had been a snowshoe. God, I wish I had done winter sports.”
1990: “I guess childhood took place around here? Not really sure.”
1997: “After I figured out that you don’t hold the racket by the string part, I absolutely destroyed in my first tournament.”
1998: “I met Venus Williams for the first time. Nice girl!”
2002: “Ranking No. 1 for the first time was a huge milestone. My dad was so proud! And then when I lost it to Kim Clijsters, he was cool about it and just said all his sacrifices were wasted on a spoiled brat who never tried a day in her life.”
2004: “In May was the finale of Frasier, a show I executive-produced, co-wrote, and starred in. It’s sometimes overlooked alongside my achievements in tennis, but playing Dr. Frasier Crane for 11 seasons was a highlight of my career.”
2009: “I’ve been fortunate to partner with some great brands over the years, but in 2009, I signed my favorite endorsement deal, which was of course with Christys’ Hats to wear their iconic bowler hats on the court.”
2013: “This was the year I won my 16th Grand Slam title. There’s really no feeling like it, except for the same feeling I’d had 15 other times.”
2017: “I won a tournament while eight weeks pregnant—something only six male tennis players have ever done.”
2022: “I’m stepping away from tennis to give myself time to try to find something better to be remembered for than tennis.”