Professional tennis player Ankita Raina's tryst with the sport started at the young age of four. A legend who truly inspired Raina’s journey when she was an aspiring tennis star was an American tennis player and 23 times Grand Slam champion Serena Wiliams (40), who announced her retirement on Tuesday.
“The Williams Sisters are great idols and a huge inspiration for many,” shared Raina in a chat with The Morning Standard. Reacting to the news of the legend’s departure from the sport, the 29-year-old added, “It is sad, but it is also a part of every athlete’s life.
Serena Williams has done a lot for the game. She has inspired and will inspire many generations to come.” Raina reminisces about a time last year when she was lucky to meet Williams. Talking about how she mustered the courage to walk up to Williams sometime before the former’s match, only to express gratitude towards the player, she said,
“I am glad I got that moment. It took some courage but I walked up to her to tell her that ‘you have been an inspiration to me; I have reached so far and you have an important role to play in the journey’.” On being asked the one lesson learnt from Williams’ journey, Raina concluded, “Regardless of where you are in life, you will face challenges.
After playing and even winning so many tournaments, Serena faced several challenges. However, despite those, when she was on the court, she would be the same Serena—this just shows how strong she is.” “... I’m here to tell you that I am evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me,”
Serena wrote while announcing her retirement in an article for an American magazine on Tuesday. The 2022 US Open—it will begin on August 29 and run through September 11—is speculated to be her last major tournament