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Serena Williams' retirement ends a golden era of legendary great female athletes who refused to stick to sports

If you haven’t been paying attention the last 20 or so years to their greatness, their grace, their grit — well, that’s a you problem.

Because to have been even marginally interested in sports over the last two decades has meant getting to watch four of the greatest ever rack up championships and gold medals and legions of fans who dream of following them to glory.

On Tuesday, Serena Williams revealed in a first-person essay for Vogue magazine that she is retiring, or “evolving away from the game,” as she called it. The 40-year-old has been chasing her 24th Grand Slam title for years, ever since winning her 23rd while pregnant with her daughter Olympia at the 2017 Australian Open.