“She's potentially the greatest female athlete of all time; the way she's conducted herself through this transition, it's like with grace” - NWSL star and Olympic champion Christine Sinclair on Serena Williams

Canadian soccer star Christine Sinclair has heaped praise on Serena Williams, calling her one of the greatest athletes of all time and applauding her for the way she’s handled the news of her retirement from the sport she has dominated for more than twenty years.

Sinclair is the captain of Portland Thorns FC in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the Canadian women’s national team. She has won multiple Olympic medals and is a 14-time winner of the Canada Soccer Player of the Year award.

Speaking to Canadian media outlet Sportsnet, the 39-year-old spoke highly of Williams for everything she’s achieved in the sport and said that her retirement announcement was done with grace.

“She's potentially the greatest female athlete of all time. I think the way she's conducted herself through this transition, it's like with grace. I think it's how it should be done,” Sinclair said.

The 40-year-old Williams, in her retirement statement, said that she would prefer the term ‘evolution’ over ‘retirement.’ Sinclair agreed with the American tennis legend, saying that athletes can do so much more even after calling time on their professional playing careers.

“Too many people use the word retirement, and it just seems like such an end and so drastic. And so final. All athletes go through it and you're just, like she said, evolving into a new part of your life,” she said.

“Look at how many very successful athletes have gone on to have very, very successful careers post-sports. I think sometimes the term retirement, I don't know for me, I picture some 70-year-old person retiring from their nine-to-five job. Athletes have so much to give after their sport,” she added.

Sinclair, who holds the record for most goals scored (men or women) in international football, stated that she liked the way Williams put her retirement in a positive light.

“I really like the way that Serena's turned it into a positive and turned it into, like, there's so much more to come. What we do on the field or the court, it's such a small part of what we are and who we are,” she concluded.

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“I'm super disciplined in tennis, so it's really interesting how to transfer that to other aspects of my life” - Serena Williams

Serena Williams in action at the 2022 National Bank Open in Toronto

In a recent discussion with American actor and singer Selena Gomez, Serena Williams spoke about balancing her personal and professional lives. The American veteran said that she is still attempting to strike a balance in terms of her own priorities.

“It's hard [finding the balance]! It's not easy, I do my work and then VC (venture capital) stuff and then do Olympia stuff, my daughter, but I don't do Serena stuff. And I'm still trying to figure out the balance of how to prioritize myself,” Serena Williams said.

When asked if she translates her tennis discipline into her daily life, the 23-time Grand Slam stated that being highly disciplined in tennis allows her to employ that consistency in other fields as well.

“I'm super disciplined in tennis. And, without trying to pontificate, know what it takes to be successful and to be the best at something. And so it's really interesting how to transfer that to other aspects of my life,” Williams said.

Having made early exits at the Canadian Open and Cincinnati Open following defeats to Belinda Bencic and Emma Raducanu respectively, Serena Williams will next participate at the US Open, which will be the last tournament of her career.