Serena Williams announces plans to retire from tennis

Serena Williams on Tuesday announced plans to retire from tennis in order to focus on family and other ventures.

"I'm evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me," she wrote in an article published in Vogue.

Williams, who is currently competing in the Canadian Open, said she is hopeful she will be able to compete in the U.S. Open in New York later this month.

"Unfortunately I wasn't ready to win Wimbledon this year," Williams said. "And I don't know if I will be ready to win New York. But I'm going to try. And the lead-up tournaments will be fun."

The 40-year-old tennis champion said she and her husband have been trying to have another baby over the past year.

"I definitely don't want to be pregnant again as an athlete," she wrote. "I need to be two feet into tennis or two feet out."

Williams explained that retiring is difficult for her.

"I know that a lot of people are excited about and look forward to retiring, and I really wish I felt that way," she wrote.