Serena Williams jokes about returning to tennis game that ‘Tom Brady started an amazing trend’

Serena Williams joked that Tom Brady “started an amazing trend” as she discussed her “evolution” after leaving tennis on Tuesday’s episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on NBC.

The 40-year-old tennis legend, winner of 22 Grand Slam tournaments, appeared on the show in a black bodycon dress accented with zippers and was asked about her future by 47-year-old Jimmy after she left following her US Open loss. .

Jimmy asked if there was any chance she’d pull a “Tom Brady” and maybe come back, referring to the legendary NFL quarterback who returned to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this season after announcing his retirement earlier this year.

“You know, Tom Brady started a great trend,” Serena joked.

Serena previously spoke of leaving the game as a personal “evolution.”

“I always feel like retirement is something that’s super deserved and that people work really hard for and maybe they don’t,” Serena said. “I just feel like I’m at an age where I definitely feel like I have a lot more to give and I want to do a lot more. So I’m not going to relax. There is so much more for me. I feel like it’s more of an evolution of Serena.”

“There are so many things I’ve wanted to do for so many years,” Serena added. “I’ve had such a passion for tennis for so long that I’ve never done it before. Now it’s time for me to enjoy those things.’

Jimmy said she should enjoy it.

“It’s hard,” Serena said.

Jimmy asked her when she knew about her decision to put down her racket.

“At first I literally couldn’t tell anyone,” Serena said. “Putting it into words meant it was real and I guess I don’t want it to be real.”

Serena revealed that she only told her therapist about her decision.

“I don’t think you’ll really know until you say, I don’t know,” Serena said.

Serena said she was shocked by her reaction when her story appeared in Vogue.

“The whole time I was stressed, I thought I would feel really miserable and scared if this whole article got out,” Serena said. “You must think I’ve been playing tennis since I was literally in a pram. There’s a picture of Venus pushing me in a pram.”

“For me to suddenly have to be done, it was like this is something big,” Serena said. “When it came out, I was actually relieved. I didn’t expect to feel this way, but I felt good.’

“I should have done it ten years ago,” Serena joked.

Jimmy said he’d read she wasn’t good at saying goodbye.

“I always thought that at the end I would just leave calmly and say nothing and just make an announcement on social media,” Serena said.

Jimmy, when he saw her at Wimbledon, asked if she had made up his mind yet.

“Yes, I did,” Serena said. ‘I was heavy. I was heavy for months. I don’t know if you knew my energy, but I was just so heavy, and I didn’t even rock the way I wanted to rock.”

Serena said she planned to focus on her investing activities at Serena Ventures.

“Give everyone a chance,” Serena said. ‘Actually, just investing in founders. That is the mission we have started and we will keep it up.’

Serena also spoke about her children’s book The Adventures of Qai Qai, which will be released on September 27.

“That’s what Qai Qai’s adventures are all about, that you can do anything,” Serena said.

Earlier in the show, Serena also participated in a fun Catch Phrase game with Jimmy against actor Justin Long, 44.

She was spotted after taping the talk show while dining out with friends in New York City.

Serena traded her heels for sneakers while she had a snack with her friends.