IMAGINE the French Open without clay courts. Or Wimbledon without strawberries and cream. About as unimaginable as a tennis court without Serena and Venus Williams - the two powerhouses who've dominated women's tennis for more than 20 years.
But with both champions now in their forties, the day when they hang up their rackets isn't too far off. And in a candid interview with Harper's Bazaar magazine the sisters admit they find the idea of retirement rather liberating after devoting their lives to tennis from the age of four.
"From such a young age, all we've done is work" Venus (41) says. “So I think for Serena and I to explore that freedom is surreal. We've never been free.”
Serena, who recently turned 40, shared her future plans. “I definitely want to have more kids," the tennis icon, who has a daughter, Olympia (4), with her husband, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian (38), told US celebrity news show Entertainment Tonight. “And I know the clock is ticking."
But tennis great John McEnroe believes that before bowing out, Serena will want to win one last grand slam title - which will take her tally to 24, allowing her to equal Australian tennis legend Margaret Court's record.
“Serena looks as though she's still training and trying to get herself ready and absolutely wants to try and break the record” he says.
She hasn't played a match since crashing out of the first round of Wimbledon last year with a hamstring injury, so the odds are stacked against her – but if anyone can do it, it's Serena.
Remember how she romped to her seventh Australian Open title in 2017 without losing a set in the final against her sister even though she was pregnant at the time?
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة 10 March 2022 من YOU South Africa.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة 10 March 2022 من YOU South Africa.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
HOW TO BE YOUR OWN THERAPIST
With more and more of us struggling with our mental health, here's a common-sense guide to coping with life's ups and downs
SPUD: THE MAGIC CONTINUES
John van de Ruit tells us why he decided to write a sequel - and shares how his first book helped him find enduring love
SEX CONTRACT GONE WRONG
A Cape Town couple have been charged with using a young woman as a sex slave-but some say she lost the job she signed up for and now has a grudge against them
LIAM LAID TO REST
More than a month after One Direction singer LIAM PAYNE (31) tragically fell to his death from a balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, his loved ones finally got to say their goodbyes.
SHILOH HANGS OUT
THE two young women look like any pair of good friends chatting and laughing as they leave their dance class in Los Angeles.
LEO IN LOVE
He's just turned 50 and it seems Leonardo DiCaprio may finally be ready to settle down
PACKING A PUNCH
Irish actor Paul Mescal beefed up for his role in the blockbuster epic Gladiator II - and fans are loving it
I DIDN'T CHOOSE TO BE A LOVE CHILD
As the illegitimate daughter of the king, she fought to be recognised as part of Belgium's royal family, but Princess Delphine says she still feels unwelcome
'I STILL HAVE NIGHTMARES'
A bite from a spitting cobra 13 years ago nearly killed her but Mikayla survived - and she's made peace with her scars
THE CLAWS ARE OUT!
Things have grown frosty between the Beckhams and the Sussexes as Becks comes out in clear support of William