Is there a good time for an athlete to say goodbye? — Dubai quotes
By Joey Dillon
The IX: Tennis Tuesday with Joey Dillon, Feb. 25, 2025
Howdy, y’all and Happy Tennis Tuesday! With the recent retirement of Simona Halep I discussed a couple of weeks ago, it re-energized the self-conversation I have when athletes say goodbye. In Halep’s case, she was essentially forced to say goodbye because her body could no longer handle the demands of training and competing — not to mention the mental anguish and time spent on her doping suspension. Now, Venus Williams is the catalyst to dissect this conversation.
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In the world of professional tennis, the question of when a player should retire is a topic of much debate. Do you go out on top like Justine Henin (her first time)? Do you tell people ahead of time for a proper swan song like Serena Williams? Do you simply stop playing and never give a formal farewell like Jennifer Capriati? For many athletes, the decision to step away from the sport is influenced by a combination of physical, mental, and emotional factors. For someone like Venus, it’s a delicate situation.
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Last week, Williams was announced as one of the first main draw wildcards for the upcoming BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. The announcement was a bit surprising because the former World No. 1 hasn’t really been spotted on a practice court, but the last WTA match she played was nearly a year ago at the 2024 Miami Open. Here’s some insider tea — I knew Venus was practicing because when I was in Bayamon, Puerto Rico for the GLTA World Championships, she (or her team) had placed a call to practice that evening but ended up cancelling last-minute. Still, the amount of tour tennis she’s played has been minimal. Ranked No. 975, she’s only played 12 matches since the start of the 2022 season and carries a 3-9 record.
Though, it turns out there was quite a bit miscommunication and Venus didn’t accept a wildcard and isn’t going to Tennis Paradise. Tie in the fact she did an event in Europe the other day and seemed to have no clue about it until we all did just added to the awkwardness. The tournament — I’m assuming due to their complicated history with the Williams family — took the L on this one and said she ended up declining.
Despite facing health challenges with Sjögren’s syndrome and the inevitable toll of aging, the seven-time Grand Slam champion continues to compete at the highest level. Her enduring presence on the court raises important questions about the ideal time for a player to retire, especially since health is the top reason people say farewell. Mental and emotional well-being also play a crucial role in the decision to retire. The pressure to perform, the grind of the tour, and the constant travel can take a toll on a player’s mental health. For Venus, the love of the game and the desire to compete have been driving forces that keep her motivated. Her passion for tennis and her ability to find joy in the sport are key factors that have contributed to her longevity.
Now, the tricky part.
Another important aspect to consider is the legacy a player leaves behind. Venus Williams’ career is already cemented in the annals of tennis history. Her achievements and contributions to the sport are unparalleled. Lets be honest — the WTA Tour we have today simply wouldn’t exist without Venus Williams, especially equal prize money at all Grand Slams. However, continuing to play at an advanced age leads to inconsistent performances and more question marks which affect a player’s legacy. For Venus, the decision to keep playing is a testament to her love for the game and her desire to compete, regardless of the outcomes.
I’ve gone here in the past and said Venus could do no wrong and should hang up the racquets whenever she wants. Let her play until she’s 80 for all I care. However, because she plays so little and when she does, she either gets hurt and has to spend months rehabbing or gets blitzed out by opponents we know we’re used to seeing her devour. She gained some traction in 2023 during the grass season with a big win over Camila Giorgi and pushing Jelena Ostapenko to three sets. Then at Wimbledon, she started off against eventual semifinalist Elina Svitolina super well before slipping and hurting herself but was able to finish a two-set loss. That summer, she has a big Top 20 scalp in Cincinnati but then only won two games against Greet Minnen. She would only play two matches after — a three-set loss to Nao Hibino at Indian Wells and her straight setter against Diana Shnaider in Miami.
For me personally, I think Venus should have gone the doubles specialist route years ago. Whenever she plays, she’s a dominant force because of her height, wingspan and power and she easily could carve a top career if she wanted to. Unfortunately, I don’t think she views doubles the same way as she does singles and would see it as a step down. Instead, she’s been in this years-long limbo of playing when she wants to/can physically do so and showing flashes of brilliance but even more examples of her age. Tennis isn’t a forgiving sport on the body and even though it is a sport for all ages, the tour isn’t.
Ultimately, the decision to retire is a deeply personal one. For Venus , the choice to continue playing is driven by her passion for tennis and her desire to compete at the highest level. Her journey serves as a reminder that retirement is not just about physical readiness but also about mental and emotional fulfillment. As fans, we can only admire her dedication and celebrate the incredible legacy she has built.
I don’t feel comfortable telling any professional athlete when it’s time to hang up their craft, especially someone with the resume of Venus Williams. However, we’re now at the point that this constant struggle of committing or not playing at 100% is starting to turn fans away and wonder, “does she even know how to say goodbye?” Ultimately, it’s truly different for each player and it’s the most delicate decision an athlete will probably ever make in their life. Do we just sit back and let them (hopefully) figure it out? Do we call them out if given the chance?
Truly, is there even a right answer?
On to links…
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This Week in Women’s Tennis
Mirra Andreeva became the youngest WTA 1000 champion since the category was formally introduced with a straight-setter over Clara Tauson in the final. In doubles, Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend continue their winning ways by defeating Hsieh Su-Wei and Jelena Ostapenko.
A forever fan-favorite, welcome back Petra Kvitova, who is back after a 17-month break and the birth of her first child.
In case you missed it, there was a severe security incident featuring Emma Raducanu and an apparent stalker that followed her not only in Singapore, but in Abu Dhabi, Doha AND Dubai. Female athletes have more concerns than you might actually realize.
In ranking news, Mirra Andreeva cracks the Top 10 and Madison Keys enters the Top 5, while Taylor Townsend and Asia Muhammad find new career-highs in the doubles Top 10.
Though she hasn’t played in a few years, Sharon Fichman officially shared her retirement and is focused on coaching the next generation for Tennis Canada.
In light of the Elena Rybakina situation, Barbara Schett gave some insight as a former player on why players aren’t giving support in the locker room:
Malaika Rapolu finished a strong career at the University of Texas last year and got to participate in her first WTA main draw this week, Malaika Rapolu of what she’s paying her dues on the ITF World Tour for.
Apparently tennis is rapidly growing in the United States, but I either see more unkept courts or them being replaced with pickleball courts.
I feel Mirra Andreeva has been touted as the next big thing for ten years, but she’s only 17. However, “next” is finally here.
I’ll always be team “secure a bag” no matter your profession/ranking. Good on Sachia to get a deal:
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Entries for the 2025 Tom Perrotta Prize for Tennis Journalism are now open.
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Tweet of the Week
I always love these:
Five at The IX: Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship
Q. How are you feeling today after the win? What was your mindset going into the match?
MIRRA ANDREEVA: Well, I told myself that I’m a finalist already. If I don’t do anything, I already have a smaller trophy. I have to choose if I really want to commit on 100% and do my best and handle all the nerves and all the pressure that I felt, or I can just not give up but I can be not strong enough and let all those thoughts and pressure kill me.
I chose to be 100% mentally today. I didn’t feel great tennis-wise on the court. I felt like I’ve been playing a lot of balls to the middle. She was just going for it. She was killing the ball. I felt like I was always defending and I was always down in the score.
So when I managed to win the first set, I felt like, Well, okay, this is I think one of the first times when I actually lead in the score. That gave me a bit of confidence.
Of course, not without any luck I won 6-1 in the third. We’ve had a lot of long, long games. She had a lot of break points and game points.
I’m just super happy that it all went my way today.
Q. You said you wanted to be top 10 at the end of the season. Now that it’s February and you have become the first 17-year-old since 2007 to be a top-10 player, do you change your goals now?
MIRRA ANDREEVA: Well, I haven’t thought about it until right now. I don’t know.
Now when you enter top 10 and the higher your ranking is, the slower and longer it’s going to take for you to be even higher because the difference in the points is very, very short, very small.
I think that if I win another tournament, I’m going to be top 8. If I win another tournament, I can still be top 8 and I can just stay there. I think it’s going to be hard to enter top 5.
This is the exact goal that I’m going to set for myself, to be top 5 by the end of the year. I’m very curious if I will be able to achieve it.
Q. You’re the tour leader in match wins, many categories this year. How do you look at the start of your year? Is that something you felt in the off-season you could make a big charge this year?
CLARA TAUSON: No. I mean, of course I know I put in the work, but you never know if the results are going to come or not.
I mean, I’ve always had the belief that it was going to come eventually. Yeah, I broke through when I was really young and had some tough years the past couple of years.
This start to the season has been amazing. I have to thank my coach and my fitness coach and everyone at home who has been helping me.
Yeah, I think I put in even more work. I feel like I put more work every single year. This year was different. I feel a lot better on court. I feel a lot more at peace with how I play in my game. That’s really nice.
Q. End of last year, I asked you about communication with the WTA under the new leadership. You said maybe in the off-season there would be more conversations. Portia Archer has been around since August. Have you felt the difference in communication, especially with issues like the balls?
IGA SWIATEK: Well, honestly I was kind of busy with my own life, so I wasn’t much involved in WTA stuff.
But I feel like Portia is much more, like, communicative and available. Also the way she takes stands like on these hard topics, she’s helping us to solve some problems. I think it’s really great.
But, yeah, I mean, that place in my life, I kind of wanted to focus on myself. I’ve been involved in some stuff before that we couldn’t do anything and we couldn’t push some things through. At some point you just need to, yeah, focus on yourself and not waste energy on that.
But for sure it will be nice to, like, be caught up and know what’s going on. I feel like with Portia and with the players council now, the communication is better.
Q. Talking about not being able to play Dubai last year because of injury. Generally you have missed large chunks of the seasons because of injuries. Is there anything you’ve learned from those times in terms of prevention to lessen the chance of that happening again or just bad luck over the years?
KAROLINA MUCHOVA: It’s funny. I actually realized last year on this day I had a surgery. Time really flies that I’m here now in quarters, and I’m really grateful for that.
Yeah, I’m trying all the time, doing all the exercises, trying to strengthen the body and all that. But there are certain things that you can’t really protect I’d say as well. The way I play, I think I stretch a lot. I play in awkward positions. I think I go a little bit over the limit here and there, like I never go like that in the practice.
Yeah, but for sure I’m trying. I know my weaknesses in my body, what can be painful. I’m trying to just strengthen it up. It’s a daily work.
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