The 40-year-old star has admitted she’s been getting herself ready to step away from the sport ‘for over a decade’ after following the advice of her father Richard Williams, who is played by Will Smith in biopic King Richard.

‘I am prepared for that day, I’ve been prepared for that day for over a decade,’ she told Entertainment Tonight.

Time out? Serena Williams is ‘prepared’ for retirement from tennis. The 40-year-old star has admitted she’s been getting herself ready to step away from the sport ‘for over a decade’

Ready to exit: ‘I am prepared for that day, I’ve been prepared for that day for over a decade,’ she told Entertainment Tonight

‘So, I’ve always – if you’ve seen King Richard – you know that my dad always said you got to prepare, so I’ve been prepared for that.

‘You know, at the end of the day, I think it’s really important to always have a plan and that’s kind of what I did. I always had a plan.’

Serena – who has four-year-old daughter Olympia with her husband Alexis Ohanian – has a wealth of business ventures aside from her tennis career, and she admitted sometimes her packed schedule can be ‘overwhelming’.

Olan b: ‘You know, at the end of the day, I think it’s really important to always have a plan and that’s kind of what I did. I always had a plan,’ she said

She added: ‘It is a balancing act and some days it’s harder than the others.

‘It was definitely more tough because I’m still a mom and I’m still a wife and I’m still, you know, I want to be able to spend time and I like to be good at things,’ said the athlete.

‘I want to be the best mom, you know, and I just have a wonderful team around me… There are days that are overwhelming… But I’m just like, OK, I just got to like, figure it out and just make it work.’

Biz babe: Serena – who has four-year-old daughter Olympia with her husband Alexis Ohanian – has a wealth of business ventures aside from her tennis career

Meanwhile, she’s trying to figure out the right time to grow their family as she explained that ‘balance is key’.

She said: ‘I definitely want to have more kids, it’s just like, balance is key, you know, and just trying to find that balance.

‘I don’t know, it’s always like, OK, are we ready? And I know the clock is ticking so I’m just like OK, I need to figure out when that’s going to be, but hopefully soon when I will feel no pressure.’

Family bond: Williams, daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. and husband/American internet entrepreneur Alexis Ohanian arrive at the 2021 AFI Fest in November