Serena Williams Gets Candid About Life Amid Retirement: 'Harder Than I Ever Imagined'

World-class renowned tennis player Serena Williams is opening up about what life is when she isn't on the court!

The iconic athlete, following her departure from the world of tennis, has come out to reveal how difficult it's been for her to adapt to her new world that does not revolve around constant and rigorous training for upcoming competitions.

Williams allowed herself to be vulnerable with her followers on Twitter and explained how she has been navigating life now that she has a lot of free time to herself.

Although Williams has often clarified in past interviews that she did not retire from tennis but rather "evolved away from tennis," we are yet to see a comeback. However, with her recent revelation, fans might start anticipating the return of a legend.

Taking to Twitter to give a life update to her followers, the mom of one disclosed how she's doing everything possible to enjoy the current life she's living.

Being openly transparent with her feelings, she tweeted her thoughts out and wrote, "I'm currently allowing myself To relax. Allowing myself to just be. It's harder than I ever imagined. I've never allowed myself to do any of that before…"

Her post must have probably resonated with a lot of people as it amassed over 64,000k likes and several supportive and uplifting comments from individuals from different spheres of life.

American lawyer and former president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defence Fund, Sherrilyn Ifill, threw in her unwavering support for the athlete and commented under her tweet.

She wrote, "I understand this deeply. Shutting down the "adrenaline lifestyle" is incredibly difficult and takes longer than we imagined. It's a process, and we must be kind to ourselves as we navigate it."

Renowned physician Dr. Jen Caudle also assumed the role of a friend and encouraged Williams by writing, "Take it one day at a time. Allow yourself to feel all the feelings. This may be a new existence for you, so it's understandable how you feel. Hang in there. (Disclaimer: I'm not a therapist, just a family doc who talks to a lot of people about how they feel)."

Another supporter named Atul Kasbekar, an Indian photographer, took a different approach and praised Williams for being a role model. He wrote, "You've earned it GOAT. You are and will remain an inspiration to millions of men and women around the world, salute."

It appears as though not only fans of the 41-year-old miss seeing her play on their screens, as the four-time Olympic gold medalist indicated that she yearned for the activities that brought excitement and fun to her life.

Per The Blast, Williams took to her Instagram story on Thanksgiving eve to hint at a possible comeback to the world of sports. 

The professional tennis player shared a picture of her tennis racket covered in nylon branded with the letter S, which represents her fashion brand "S By Serena." 

In the snap, the new racket laid on the floor against a grey background that was similar to the floor of a court. And across the picture, Willaim wrote, "I'm a little bored."

Also worthy of mention was the time the mom-of-one, during a public appearance, had a chat with TechCrunch deputy editor Jordan Crook at a tech event for her company Serena Ventures.

During the one-on-one friendly chat, Williams made some clarifications about the word retirement and noted that she rather preferred the word "evolution and not retirement." She further maintained that she is never retired and did not appreciate the use of the word.

Although Williams has made history by winning more Grand Slam singles titles — amassing up to 23 Grand Slam tournament victories—  than any other woman or man during the open era in tennis, the star realized that it was time to take a break from her professional work.

As previously covered, Williams and her sister Venus granted spoke to Bradley Cooper in an interview for the A+E Networks.

During the interview, Cooper asked Williams about her retirement announcement and what prompted the decision. Giving a reply, she 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."

She further added, "For me, it's really about things I want to do spiritually and spending time with my daughter and family."