Okay, we know that Serena Williams doesn’t want to make a huge fuss over her retirement… but that doesn’t mean the rest of the world can’t!
Ahead of tonight’s first-round kickoff of Williams’ final US Open, Gatorade dropped a brand new commercial to pay homage to her trailblazing career. Titled “Love Means Everything,” the nearly 2-minute spot details how the tennis icon’s love for herself and the game inspired a whole generation of young girls (and, let’s face it, everyone else) to utilize their self-love to accomplish anything. Oh, and did we mention that it’s narrated by none other than Beyoncé?!
In addition, TIME Magazine dropped its new cover, featuring a black-and-white portrait of Williams, eyes closed, head tilted to the heavens. The headline is simple: The Greatest.
In the caption, TIME says, “It’s been too long a road for Williams to shy away from what she’s done. She owns it. Deservedly. Unapologetically. And it’s rooted in what she knows she and her sister [Venus Williams] have meant to the sport that both shaped them and they shaped.”
As previously reported, Williams announced her retirement in the September issue of Vogue. “The best word to describe what I’m up to is evolution,” she wrote, in lieu of the term, retirement. “I’m here to tell you that I’m evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me.”
With her “evolution” in plain sight, Williams is set to make her departure from tennis in grand fashion, competing in singles and doubles with sister Venus. Regardless of how this turns out, one thing is for sure.
Serena Williams is leaving a game that’s dramatically different than the one she entered, and we’re grateful for that.
SEE ALSO:
Serena Williams Announces Approaching Retirement From Tennis in VOGUE
What’s Next For Serena Williams? 5 Ways She Can Still Win After Tennis
Gatorade, Time Magazine Pay Tribute to Serena Williams Ahead of Final US Open was originally published on foxync.com
