Serena Williams is preparing for her retirement from professional tennis on her own terms and in her own words, writing in Vogue Magazine.

TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Serena made the announcement on Tuesday, saying she is evolving towards other things that are important to her.

A tennis legend, Serena has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles – the most by any player in the Open Era. She has spent 319 weeks at the top of the world rankings and she is a four-time Olympic gold medalist.

Announcing her plans for retirement, Serena wrote: “It’s the hardest thing that I could ever imagine. I have never liked the word retirement. It doesn’t feel like a modern word to me.

“I’ve been thinking of this as a transition, but I want to be sensitive about how I use that word, which means something very specific and important to a community of people.

“Maybe the best word to describe what I’m up to is evolution. I don’t want it to be over, but at the same time I’m ready for what’s next. I’m here to tell you that I’m evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me”.

Serena opened up that it was a difficult decision to take and that the only person she has opened up to is her therapist.

“But I’ve been reluctant to admit to myself or anyone else that I have to move on from playing tennis. Alexis, my husband, and I have hardly talked about it; it’s like a taboo topic.

“I can’t even have this conversation with my mom and dad. It’s like it’s not real until you say it out loud. It comes up, I get an uncomfortable lump in my throat, and I start to cry.

“The only person I’ve really gone there with is my therapist! One thing I’m not going to do is sugarcoat this.

“I know that a lot of people are excited about and look forward to retiring, and I really wish I felt that way,” she wrote in Vogue.

TNG reports Serena as saying she will retire from tennis after playing in the US Open beginning later this month.