My husband told me that Serena was a keynote speaker at a conference he attended in Brazil just last week.

Serena has always had a lot of interests outside of tennis. Several years ago both sisters’ dedication to tennis was questioned because they had so many non-tennis activities that took time away from the practice court. Back then, Serena could rely on her athletic ability, her strength, and her willpower to make up for a lead-up tournament schedule that was lighter than that of her fellow competitors and for what seemed to be less time training and practicing. At her current age, that may no longer be possible, and I don’t think she is willing to put in the time that is needed to compete at her age and against the current level of competition (a level which she certainly helped to raise). She says she wants to expand her family, and it is well known that her last pregnancy and post-pregnancy were difficult. But it is pretty clear from her recent efforts that she would need to really increase her focus on tennis in order to continue competing at the level to which she is accustomed, and she probably just isn’t willing to do that. I certainly understand her choice and respect her priorities.