Serena Williams Isn't Ready to Retire, Discusses Postpartum Symptoms

Serena Williams is one Grand Slam championship away from Margaret Court's record of 24, and she isn't ready to walk away just yet.

Williams opened up about a number of topics in a profile by Sean Gregory of Time and said she's not ready to retire after giving birth to her daughter. "I'm not done yet, simple," she said. "My story doesn't end here."

This comes after Williams discussed her postpartum symptoms in a powerful Instagram post, saying, in part, "I read several articles that said postpartum emotions can last up to three years if not dealt with. I like communication best. Talking things through with my mom, my sisters, my friends let me know that my feelings are totally normal. It's totally normal to feel like I'm not doing enough for my baby."

Gregory described a training session in the profile where Williams took breaks between hits to think about her baby. "I didn't think I'd be this attached," Williams said. "It's difficult to leave her."

Complications from her delivery, which included a life-threatening pulmonary embolism and a hematoma, led to surgeries and six weeks on bed rest. But as Gregory pointed out, "Her desire to play tennis again, however, never wavered."

While she has struggled of late—losing in the second round to Petra Kvitova at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati on Tuesday after a first-round loss to Johanna Konta in the Silicon Valley Classic before that—she did reach the 2018 Wimbledon final, falling in straight sets to Angelique Kerber.

She will have one more chance to add to her Grand Slams when the U.S. Open starts on Aug. 27.

Williams is a six-time champion at the event and demonstrated at Wimbledon she can still perform near peak level on the biggest stage. With retirement on the backburner for now, the American will look to tie Court's record in the United States.