"The way I see it, I should have had 30+ Slams; I went from a C-section to a second pulmonary embolism to a Slam final; played while breastfeeding & postpartum depression" - Serena Williams

Serena Williams announced plans for her imminent retirement on Tuesday, mere weeks ahead of the 2022 US Open. Williams penned a magnum opus for Vogue magazine, where she spoke about a host of topics, all leading up to her hanging up her boots soon.

The 23-time Major champion will contest this year's US Open as per her article but will call it a day after the tournament irrespective of her result.

In her article, Williams revealed that she began playing tennis with the "goal of winning" her home Slam at Flushing Meadows.

"I started playing tennis with the goal of winning the U.S. Open. I didn’t think past that. And then I just kept winning," Serena Williams wrote. "I remember when I passed Martina Hingis’s grand slam count. Then Seles’s. And then I tied Billie Jean King, who is such an inspiration for me because of how she has pioneered gender equality in all sports."

The American then elaborated on her thoughts on the GOAT debate, admitting that she knows some people do not consider her the greatest of all time, given she has not been able to match or surpass Margaret Court's all-time tally of 24 Grand Slams.

Williams took a sly dig at Court's achievements, highlighting that the latter won several of her Slams before the Open Era. Having said that, the 40-year-old admitted that she wanted to break Court's record.

"Then it was climbing over the Chris Evert–Martina Navratilova mountain. There are people who say I’m not the GOAT because I didn’t pass Margaret Court’s record of 24 grand slam titles, which she achieved before the “open era” that began in 1968," she said.

"I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want that record. Obviously I do. But day to day, I’m really not thinking about her. If I’m in a grand slam final, then yes, I am thinking about that record. Maybe I thought about it too much, and that didn’t help," she added.

Williams firmly believes she should have won more than 30 Majors in her career and claimed she was hard done in her post-pregnancy playing career.

The 23-time Major champion made a whopping four Slam finals after giving birth to daughter Olympia in September 2017 but failed to get past the finish line on each occasion.

"The way I see it, I should have had 30-plus grand slams. I had my chances after coming back from giving birth. I went from a C-section to a second pulmonary embolism to a grand slam final. I played while breastfeeding. I played through postpartum depression," Serena Williams said.

"But I didn’t get there. Shoulda, woulda, coulda. I didn’t show up the way I should have or could have. But I showed up 23 times, and that’s fine. Actually it’s extraordinary. But these days, if I have to choose between building my tennis résumé and building my family, I choose the latter," she stated.

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"This sport has given me so much, I love to win, I love the battle, I love to entertain" - Serena Williams

Serena Williams in action at the 2022 National Bank Open in Toronto

Serena Williams laid bare her lover for tennis in her article for Vogue, highlighting how she loves entertaining people.

"This sport has given me so much. I love to win. I love the battle. I love to entertain," wrote Serena Williams. "I’m not sure every player sees it that way, but I love the performance aspect of it—to be able to entertain people week after week."

Williams then described and elaborated upon some of her "happiest" moments from the sport.

"Some of the happiest times in my life were spent waiting in that hallway in Melbourne, and walking out into Rod Laver Arena with my earphones in and trying to stay focused and drown out the noise but still feeling the energy of the crowd," she said, adding, "Night matches in Arthur Ashe Stadium at Flushing Meadows. Hitting an ace on set point."