Serena Williams to Retire from Tennis, Focus on Business Empire

In today’s edition of the Front Office Sports newsletter, we’re taking a look at what’s next for one of the greatest athletes of all time.

A Career to Remember

It looks like one of the greatest athletes in history will be soon calling it a career.

On Tuesday, Serena Williams said in a feature story for?Vogue?that she will retire from tennis, likely after the upcoming U.S. Open.

The 40-year-old was reluctant to use the word “retirement,” however, characterizing this phase of her life as an “evolution.”

Williams’ on-court?accomplishments?are legendary in the sport. Now, she’ll look to expand on her off-court?success.

• Her VC firm, Serena Ventures, has invested in over 60 startups, with 16 valued at more than $1B, including MasterClass, Tonal, and Impossible Foods.
• She is a part-owner of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins and the NWSL’s Angel City FC.
• Williams has been one of Nike’s flagship athletes since 2004, and the company?opened?a building in her name on its Oregon campus in April.
• Forbes?estimates her net worth at $260M.

Williams said in the Vogue article that investing in women-owned businesses has been and will continue to be a priority going forward.

While much of her time will be spent building her business empire, Williams also plans to focus on her family.

After mentioning that she was two months pregnant with her daughter Olympia when she won the 2017 Australian Open, she implied that she and husband Alexis Ohanian are looking to expand their family in the near future.

Conversation Starters

• Life Time Inc. plans to have 600 pickleball courts by 2023 — more than doubling the current 250.
• The majority of Fortune 500 CEOs and women in C-suite jobs were college athletes. Former Florida State and Minnesota Vikings quarterback is all-in on helping athletes recognize business opportunities after their playing days are over. Check out the new episode of our My Other Passion podcast on Apple , Spotify , or YouTube to hear Ponder and FOS editor in chief Ernest Baker talk business and behind-the-scenes NFL stories.
• Paul Brown Stadium — the home field of the Cincinnati Bengals since 2000 — will be renamed Paycor Stadium for the upcoming season.
• College basketball player Doug Edert, the former Saint Peter’s star, has cashed in on his March Madness fame but is still drawing interest for NIL deals from brands.
• Hear about the day’s most important business of sports stories in five minutes or less by listening to our daily podcast The Leadoff .

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