This year, tennis saw a wave of retirements and injuries. While legendary players like Serena Williams and Roger Federer hung their rackets, other elite players stepped away from the tour because of their injuries. Injuries are a part of the tennis journey, but seeing these legends retire from the sport took everyone by surprise. However, that wasn’t the case for the legendary Czech-American star Martina Navratilova. She recently opened up about how she once predicted the 23-time Grand Slam champion’s retirement trajectory.  

Williams played tennis for nearly two decades before deciding to step away from the sport. She amassed 23 major titles over this time, which places her just behind Margaret Court in terms of all time Grand Slam victories.

Martina Navratilova once predicted Serena Williams’ retirement 

The 59-time Grand slam champion, Navratilova, recently talked about how she thought that Serena Williams would be inching towards retirement after she became a mother. However, the 23-time Major champion proved her wrong and called off her tennis career only after five years of being an athlete mother to her daughter, Olympia, proving that even mothers can be athletes. 

The former Czech–American player said, “Obviously, we could have predicted that this was going to happen. In fact, when Serena got pregnant a few years ago, I thought she was done. But then she came back. She wasn’t done! She’s retiring on her own terms.” 

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According to the 66-year-old veteran tennis ace, Williams’ retirement was imminent, and it would eventually occur when she gave birth to a child. The 23-time Grand Slam champion, however, was not through and returned to the tennis court stronger than ever. Further, she also commented on Roger Federer’s retirement call and said that he could practically play tennis if he was physically fine.   

Navratilova lauded Williams for being both a mother and an athlete

The greatest all-format player of all time thinks that the legendary American tennis player has made it possible for other athletes, particularly women, to continue their careers even after starting a family.

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The 66-year-old tennis former pro believes that women have a difficult time making a decision. Serena, however, has demonstrated that athletes can do both at once, as she has shown how to balance being a mother and an athlete. Notably, the American tennis legend was carrying her daughter at the time she won her 23rd major title in 2017. 

What are your thoughts on athletes coming back after childbirth? Do you think Serena could’ve won more major titles if not for her pregnancy in 2017? Let us know in the comments.