Poised to turn 40, tennis great Serena Williams has unsurprisingly withdrawn from the U.S. Open because she’s no longer sufficiently fit for world-class competition. But rather than bravely face the obvious and announce her retirement, she continues to delude herself and fans with talk of somehow overcoming her nagging injuries and making a comeback. Her post-pregnancy body, however, is plainly too heavy to be supported by its aging tendons and ligaments, and she risks truly debilitating injury if she persists with her comeback fantasy.
Unfortunately, as Post-deconstruction observed two months ago when she withdrew from Wimbledon, there doesn’t seem to be anyone in Serena’s inner circle nor within the sportswriting profession with the guts to tell her Father Time has run her down from behind. It’s time to get out with her dignity still intact. (Expect comparable decisions from Roger Federer and Tiger Woods soon.)
No one, especially none of her adoring fans, wants to see her go down in an awkward heap again and leave the court for the last time on a stretcher. So she should forget about trying to break Margaret Court’s record for Grand Slam championships and just be happy to be forever known as one of the very best there ever was, perhaps the GOAT.