Rumors have escalated about former World No. 1 Serena Williams' retirement from tennis after she was sent packing out of Wimbledon's opening round by Harmony Tan of France in a three-set thriller on the hallowed turf of Centre Court.
Serena herself added fuel to the fire after she failed to give a definitive answer about her future.
"That's a question I can't answer," Williams said in her post-match press conference. "I don't know. Who knows where I will pop up?" "It's definitely better than last year. That's a start," she joked in reference to the leg injury in 2021 that limited her time on court.
Over the last few years, Serena has wildly chased Margaret Court's record of 24 Grand Slams but to no avail, having suffered a string of losses to players who were once scared to face her on the court.
Margaret Court is a retired Australian female player who holds the world record for winning the most Grand Slam titles (24) in tennis.
Earlier this month, Rafael Nadal became the first man to capture 22 Majors.
Given her recent record and her age (she is now 40 and fast approaching 41), the Michigan-born superstar is no longer in a position to compete for major titles on the women's tour.
Her loss to Tan once again put forward this theory, with many fans calling for her retirement.
While an admirer said that she was "finished", another pleaded with her to "close the chapter" for good.
A few even declared that she was "diminished", while others showed their "sadness" on seeing their favorite tennis star exiting the All England Club for possibly the final time in her career.
Fans on Serena Williams' Wimbledon defeat
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Despite the swirling speculation, Williams may not hang up her racket just yet.
With the US Open less than two months away, Serena may just make one last appearance at her home Grand Slam and bid adieu to the game in front of her own people.
New York is the place where it all began for Serena in 1999, when she captured her maiden Grand Slam title, becoming the first African-American female to win a Major singles trophy in the Open era.