Serena Williams reveals post retirement struggles, says relaxing is harder than she ever imagined

Serena Williams recently took to social media to reveal her struggles after retiring from tennis.

Williams called time on her extraordinary career earlier this year, stating that 2022 would be her final year on tour. The American last competed at the US Open, where she received a wildcard for both the singles and doubles tournaments.

Serena reached the third round of the women's singles event with wins over Danka Kovinic and then-World No. 2 Anett Kontaveit. However, her journey came to an end as she lost 7-5, 6-7 (4), 6-1 to eventual quarterfinalist Ajla Tomljanovic.

The former World No. 1 partnered her sister Venus in the the women's doubles event. The pair lost 7-6 (5), 6-4 to Linda Niskova and Lucie Hradecka in the first round.

Life after tennis doesn't seem to have been very smooth for Serena Williams, and she revealed her post-retirement struggles in a tweet. The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion claimed that she currently allows herself to be tired or relaxed, something she found to be harder beyond imagination.

"I’m currently allowing myself to be tired. Allowing myself To relax. Allowing myself to just be. It’s harder than I ever imagined. I’ve never allowed myself to do any of that before," Serena Williams' tweet read.

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Serena Williams on life away from the spotlight

Serena Williams after her final match at the US Open

Serena Williams spoke about her life away from the spotlight earlier this year and claimed that she felt lonely while at the top and that it impacted her personal life. The 41-year-old also said that life behind closed doors was different.

"It can definitely be lonely at the top and in particular tennis, people don't realize how many hours you spend by yourself," Williams said.

"So much so, it was hard for me in a relationship because I was so used to being alone every single minute and day of my life that I can't even be around people and a lot of people don't realize that. So you get this celebration, great but behind closed doors, life is different."

She added:

"You have to live your life whether it's going outside becomes a problem because there is no privacy but all that stuff is great because if there is no privacy it means you are successful and that's kind of what you want.

"But it comes at a cost and it's worth the cost if you think it is but there's always a trade-off."

Following her retirement, Williams has been spending a lot more time with her family, especially her five-year-old daughter Olympia. The 41-year-old also runs her own businesses, including her venture capital firm Serena Ventures.