Serena Williams Reveals REAL Reason She 'Needed To Stop' Playing Tennis Post-Retirement

The 23-time grand slam champion, Serena Williams, recently shed light on her retirement from the sport and teased a possible return in the future. The athlete previously announced her retirement and played her last March early this month.

While she didn't win the match, Serena thanked her family, especially her father, who greatly impacted her life and her awe-inspiring career. The star welcomed her first child, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., in 2017 with her husband, Alexis Ohanian.

In a recent interview, Serena talked about retiring from her beloved sport and how her "hands-on" approach to motherhood prompted it. She revealed that she wanted to spend more time with her family; however, the 40-year-old also hinted at a possible comeback in the future.

Keep reading to learn more.

Serena and Venus Williams joined actor/director turned interviewer Bradley Cooper in an interview for the A+E Networks as well as the History Talks for the History Channel. During the interview, the "A Star is Born" actor talked about Serena's recent retirement announcement and what prompted the decision. Earlier this month, the 40-year-old was in New York to play her last match during the U.S Open.

Per Variety, the retired tennis pro said, "I just needed to stop. I always said I wanted to stop when I'm playing really good tennis and winning and beating good players. For me, it's really about things I want to do spiritually and spending time with my daughter and family."

Serena went on to talk about how hard she had it because of how seriously she took her motherly duties. She continued, "I lost so many matches after I had Olympia because it was so hard to be on the court."

During the interview, Serena revealed (per Variety) that due to how long she stayed in tennis, she felt like it was time for her to do something different with her life and focus on other things. "I feel like I've given so much of my life to tennis, my entire life, that it's time to do something different for me and also work on other things."

The 40-year-old, however, teased that the door of tennis wasn't fully shut on her end, and she could get back on the lawn whenever she felt like making her comeback. "I feel like if I want to come back, I definitely can still come back," Serena added.

During their time in the world of professional tennis, both Serena and Venus have claimed several dozen grand slam tournaments. The sisters have also won multiple Olympic gold medals, and in different periods, they ranked as No. 1 in the world in both singles and doubles.

Further into the interview, the trio talked about how they managed to keep some aspects of their life private despite being such public figures. On Cooper's end, the Oscar nominee revealed that he sometimes had trouble getting out of his home in Manhattan.

When asked what he does at home, Cooper revealed that he mostly spent his time with his TV. Further on, Serena explained that she tried to balance her outside appearances so when she did come out, it did not cause too much of a spectacle.

The mother of one said, "It's making sure I'm out there enough, so it's not too much of an event [when I do go out]. The other day, I wanted to get something to eat, and I ended up staying home. I don't want to overdo that. It's important to step out just enough."

Serena had her final match before announcing her retirement at the Arthur Ashe Stadium on September 2. The 40-year-old faced off against Australia's Ajla Tomljanović in three tough sets; however, she lost the match.

After the match, the 23-time grand slam champion thanked her parents, particularly her father, Richard Williams, for their influence on her career. She said per People, "I thank everyone that's here, that's been on my side so many years, decades. Oh, my gosh, literally decades. But it all started with my parents. And they deserve everything. So I'm really grateful for them."

During the emotional moments, Serena went on to talk about Venus and credited her for making it possible for the 40-year-old to have such an amazing career. "I wouldn't be Serena if there wasn't Venus, so thank you, Venus. She's the only reason that Serena Williams ever existed."