Serena Williams may have planned retirement her way, but the American must be prepared to accept the goodbyes as well as the losses and exit the stage with grace, according to tennis great Martina Navratilova.
Williams signaled her intention to retire in a Vogue article in early August, saying she was "evolving away from tennis" but never confirming the U.S. Open as her final event.
However, for Navratilova, like most of the tennis world, the message was clear: Flushing Meadows, where Williams won the first of her 23 Grand Slam titles in 1999, will be the place she takes her final bow.