‘Definitely Not Say Anything’ – Martina Navratilova’s Open Advice to Serena Williams, Roger Federer, and Venus Williams Over Their Retirement

18-time Grand Slam winner Martina Navratilova had a pretty long career, as she played till she was 50 years old. She did, however, retire once at the age of 38, but returned a few years later because of her love for the sport. Recently, she talked about the retirement of a few legendary players on the tour including, Roger Federer, Venus Williams, and Serena Williams.

Notably, Serena and Federer are almost 41 years old, whereas Venus is 42. So, it’s kind of natural that they hear lots of retirement questions now on the tour. Meanwhile, the former Czech-American player, Navratilova, opened up about her retirement and gave advice to the trio about theirs as well. 

Martina Navratilova gave advice to Roger Federer, Venus, and Serena Williams about retirement

According to Navratilova, she had regrets regarding her retirement in 1994, when she momentarily left the tour. “If I had to do it over again, I would definitely not say anything, because it was exhausting; it was much more emotionally draining than it would have been otherwise,” Navratilova revealed. 

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She also gave a piece of pretty solid advice to players like Federer, Serena, and Venus. “For your own good, forget whatever it may do for or against your brand. I wouldn’t announce it until that’s it,” she further said. 

“My thing is, if you enjoy playing and really get something out of it still, then play. Venus has been playing and people say she’s hurting her legacy. No, those titles are still there,” she added further. 

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Also, she talked about understanding why players like Federer, Venus, and Serena want to keep going, as their love for tennis is immense.

When will Federer, Venus, and Serena retire?

Recently, Federer appeared on the Centre Court at Wimbledon as a guest for the 100-year anniversary of the legendary stadium. While giving a speech, the Swiss player became quite emotional as he talked about his knee and missing the Centre Court. Notably, he has not played since last year’s Wimbledon after undergoing knee surgery. In that speech, he also hinted about coming back the next year.

As for Venus, she recently played mixed doubles with Jamie Murray. Although she lost in the round of 16, she showed that she still loves the game of tennis despite doing other things off the court. After seeing Serena’s return, she also became quite motivated to play the mixed doubles, which could be her last appearance at Wimbledon Championships.

Meanwhile, Serena lost in the first round at this year’s Wimbledon, sparking further questions about her retirement as well. However, she also gave a clear indication that she was not hanging her rackets just yet. Currently, she is just one Grand Slam title away from equaling Margaret Court’s all time record of 24 Major titles. Safe to say, reaching that milestone is her main goal right now, as she has been chasing this since 2017.