Serena Williams reveals the 'big cost' of running her businesses post-retirement

The 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams opened up about the ‘big cost’ of running her businesses after retirement. The former World No. 1 continues to expand her ventures as an entrepreneur and investor off the court, having just launched WYN Beauty x Shopify, a partnership between her brand and the e-commerce giant.

Williams retired from tennis in 2022, following her third-round loss at the US Open to Ajla Tomljanovic. Just two days earlier, she had pulled off an emotional upset over World No. 2 Anett Kontaveit.

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While many athletes take retirement as an opportunity to rest after the demanding life of a professional player, Williams has remained industrious, working tirelessly across her diverse businesses and investments, which span fashion, technology, nutrition, sports, and venture capital.

Balancing her workload with family life, the former No. 1 revealed in an interview with People the emotional and personal cost of staying deeply involved in the business world: “It definitely costs a lot. I'm here [in California] without my kids, and that’s a big cost for me because I spend a lot of time with my children, and they’re very attached to me, which a part of me loves. So, it’s always some cost.”

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“My whole life I’ve had to kind of weigh, like, 'If I wanna win a championship, well what is that going to cost me?' It's going to cost me time with my family, it's going to cost me friends, it's going to cost me relationships. And they’re very expensive. You have to decide if it's worth it for you.”

Now 43 years old, Williams shares two daughters with her husband Alexis Ohanian: Alexis Olympia, aged 7, and Adira River, just 1 year old. In the interview, she admitted she’s not planning to start any more major ventures: “I'm done! I'm not launching anything else like this. I just am happy doing WYN Beauty. And I'm happy being a mom and I'm happy with my venture company, and that's a lot. We're good!”

“It's super important for me to share that beauty is definitely on the inside. And then anything externally is just an enhancement of who you are. So our beauty and what we do at WYN Beauty enhances your inside beauty.”

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