Serena Williams' unmatched legacy to stand the test of time long after her retirement

While Serena Williams is perhaps one of, if not the most, accomplished players in the international tennis circuit, her legacy must not be defined by the myriad of accomplishments that she has managed to achieve on the court.

Although a series of extremely impressive performances have earnedWilliams a myriad of laurels across her career, including four Olympic gold medals, 16 Grand Slam doubles titles and 23 Grand Slam singles titles, she is so much more than just an accomplished professional athlete.

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Her legacy should be adjudged on the basis ofthe impact that she has left on those who look to follow in her footsteps and replicate her success in the realm of sports and athletics, not just tennis.

As a young black woman hailing from Compton, California, Serena Williams entered the sport as an outlier. She failed to fit the traditional norms that had existed in the sport way before she came along.

The fact that Williams went on to absolutely redefine the sport with her consistently awe-inspiring performances is all the more impressive.

Williams recently declared that she intended to call time on her tennis career, regarding the US Open as her swansong. She most recently featured in a match againstAustralia’s Ajla Tomljanovic, which marked the final singles match of her career as she suffered a5-7, 7-6, 1-6 loss.

However, she took onTomljanovic in a way, which was congruent with the manner she has participated in every match over the course of her storied career, fierce competition.

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The word fierce perfectly describes the American icon as she has exhibited the trait umpteen times on the court. However, she has also managed to display the same off the court, being one of the few players who juggled being a mother and a professional player so perfectly.

Although it is safe to say that the tennis court will never see her like again, her story is such that it will inspire thousands of aspiring players to try to live up to the lofty standards that she set throughout her career.

While Williams seems to have stepped away from the sport, it might not be for good as she expressed interest in making her way back to active contention at some point in the futureshould she feel inclined to do so.