Serena Williams has announced her intention to retire from tennis after the upcoming US Open . The 23-time Grand Slam champion is the most decorated female player in the Open Era, dominating the sport from the early 2000s until the mid-2010s. Seven of Williams’ singles successes in the majors have come at Wimbledon where she has long been a fan favourite, bursting onto the scene shortly after older sister Venus in the late 1990s. Together, the sisters won six doubles titles at Wimbledon. Her combination of supreme serving, unrivalled fitness and unerring accuracy from the baseline have rendered Williams not just comfortably the greatest female player of the 21st century, but one of the greatest sportspeople of all-time. Increasing injuries and the birth of her first child have kept Williams away from the court for vast swathes of the past five years, though she did win her first tour title as a mother at the 2020 ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand. Motherhood is one of the reasons she is now stepping away from the sport in which she has been a professional since the age of 14. ‘There comes a time in life when we have to decide to move in a different direction,’ she said in a post written on her Instagram account . ‘That time is always hard when you love something so much. My goodness do I enjoy tennis. ‘But now, the countdown has begun. I have to focus on being a mom, my spiritual goals and finally discovering a different, but just exciting Serena. I’m gonna relish these next few weeks. ’ Williams explained the reasons behind her decision further in an interview with Vogue for its September issue. Australian Open winner : 2001, 2003, 2009, 2010 French Open winner : 1999, 2010 Wimbledon winner : 2000, 2002, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2016 US Open winner : 1999, 2009 ‘I’m turning 41 this month, and something’s got to give,’ Williams said. ‘I have never liked the word retirement . ‘It doesn’t feel like a modern word to me. I’ve been thinking of this as a transition, but I want to be sensitive about how I use that word, which means something very specific and important to a community of people. ‘Maybe the best word to describe what I’m up to is evolution. ‘I’m torn: I don’t want it to be over, but at the same time I’m ready for what’s next. ’ Williams is currently competing in the Canadian Open in Toronto, and won her first singles match in 14 months by taking an impressive 6-3 6-4 victory over Spain’s Nuria Parrizas-Diaz on Monday. After that long-awaited victory, Williams said: ‘I guess there’s just a light at the end of the tunnel. Jailed tennis star Boris Becker sparks outrage among prison inmates Emma Raducanu sends new message to tennis bad boy Nick Kyrgios Roger Federer could be doomed like Serena Williams, former Grand Slam winner warns ‘I don’t know, I’m getting closer to the light. Lately that’s been it for me. I can’t wait to get to that light. ‘I love playing, so it’s amazing. But, you know, I can’t do this forever. So it’s just like sometimes you just want to try your best to enjoy the moments and do the best that you can. ’ She aims to compete in the US Open, which begins on Monday 19 August, before bringing her career to an end. MORE : Russian TV say Emma Raducanu is being 'harassed' as tennis star is warned over propaganda MORE : Jailed tennis star Boris Becker could be deported from UK 'the second he walks free' For more stories like this, check our sport page . Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram . .