After Serena Williams finished her last US Open match of her career, the tennis icon got a message from Michelle Obama on Twitter.
The wife of the former president Barack Obama, along with the message, shared a video of Serena Williams showing her love to everyone watching her.
“Congrats on an amazing career, Serena Williams! How lucky were we to be able to watch a young girl from Compton grow up to become one of the greatest athletes of all time. I’m proud of you, my friend—and I can’t wait to see the lives you continue to transform with your talents,” wrote Michelle Obama on Twitter.
Congrats on an amazing career, @SerenaWilliams!
How lucky were we to be able to watch a young girl from Compton grow up to become one of the greatest athletes of all time.
I’m proud of you, my friend—and I can’t wait to see the lives you continue to transform with your talents. pic.twitter.com/VWONEMAwz3
— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) September 3, 2022
Michelle Obama’s first reaction after Serena retirement news
Former First Lady Michelle Obama congratulated Serena Williams on her successful tennis career and wished her well in the next chapter of her life. Williams, 40, announced her retirement in a Vogue article. Williams is set to retire from professional tennis after more than two decades of participation at the US Open.
“Serena, thank you for everything that you’ve done to break barriers and to be a positive light in this world,” Obama wrote on Instagram. “We’ve all watched you wear the crown of greatness with the kind of humility, grace, and integrity that all of us can aspire to.
It has meant so much to follow your journey as an athlete, as a mother, as a business leader, and more. I wish you the best as you evolve into this next chapter. And please know that I’ll always be cheering you on!”
In her retirement message, Williams didn’t really want to use the word “retirement.”
Instead, Williams described what is to come as “evolving away from tennis.” “I have never liked the word retirement. It doesn’t feel like a modern word to me. I’ve been thinking of this as a transition, but I want to be sensitive about how I use that word, which means something very specific and important to a community of people.
Maybe the best word to describe what I’m up to is evolution. I’m here to tell you that I’m evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me. A few years ago I quietly started Serena Ventures, a venture capital firm.
Soon after that, I started a family. I want to grow that family,” Williams wrote for Vogue.