Serena Williams ‘evolving away from tennis’ as women’s all-time greatest player

The 2022 US Open looks set to be the 40-year-old’s swansong.

Serena Williams has announced her imminent retirement from tennis.

The 23-time grand-slam champion has committed to playing at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati next week as well as the US Open which begins later this month, and it appears that will be her final tournament.

Here, the PA news agency assesses where the American stands in a women’s top 10.

1. Serena Williams (Date of birth 26/09/81, 23 grand slam singles titles)

Serena Williams holds the Venus Rosewater Dish for the final time in 2016 (Steve Paston/PA)

2. Steffi Graf (14/06/69, 22)

Steffi Graf had one of the best forehands in tennis history (Fiona Hanson/PA)

3. Margaret Court (16/07/42, 24)

Margaret Court dominated her home grand slam (Steve Paston/PA)

4. Martina Navratilova (18/10/56, 18)

Martina Navratilova had incredible longevity (Andrew Parsons/PA)

5. Chris Evert (21/12/54, 18)

It is appropriate that Evert and Navratilova ended their careers tied on 18 slam singles titles because they dominated their era. Evert reached a record 34 slam singles finals and made at least the semi-finals at 52 of the 56 slam tournaments she played in. She won 157 singles titles and finished seasons ranked world number one seven times. Evert was particularly dominant on clay, winning the French Open title a record seven times.

6. Billie Jean King (22/11/43, 12)

Billie Jean King was a force on court as well as off it (PA)

7. Monica Seles (2/12/73, 9)

Monica Seles dominated women's tennis as a teenager — Monica Seles dominated women’s tennis as a teenager (Rebecca Naden/PA)

8. Suzanne Lenglen (24/05/1899, 8)

Suzanne Lenglen won six Wimbledon titles (PA)

9. Maureen Connolly (17/09/34, 9)

American Connolly, known as ‘Little Mo’, won all nine slam tournaments she entered between 1951 and 1954, becoming the first woman to complete the calendar Grand Slam in 1953. Her career ended abruptly at 19 after she seriously injured her leg in a riding accident.

10. Helen Wills Moody (6/10/05, 19)

Helen Wills Moody playing at Wimbledon (PA)