Williams isn't the only one paving the way for mothers who want to continue playing tennis. Tatjana Maria, a mother of two, advanced to her maiden grand slam semifinal at Wimbledon earlier this year, 15 months after the birth of her second child, and Victoria Azarenka has maintained a regular position inside the top 20 since the birth of her son Leo in 2016.

In her lengthy career, Navratilova, who now holds the record for most titles won on the WTA Tour with 167, won 18 grand slam singles titles, 31 grand slam doubles wins, and 10 grand slam mixed doubles titles.
She stopped competing in singles in 1994 at the age of 38, but she kept playing doubles in her 40s and continued to win championships.

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She has stayed active in the sport as a coach, broadcaster, and WTA Tour ambassador, stressing the value of routine checks to fight diseases like breast cancer, which Navratilova was diagnosed within 2010. She saw a sport that was continually changing after she retired, especially in terms of player longevity.

Following the example established by Williams and Roger Federer, who recently played his farewell match at the age of 41, Navratilova anticipates that players will have lengthier careers than they had in her era.

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“With the money that’s in tennis, people can take better care of themselves,” she says. “Most of all, with the knowledge that we have about how to take care of our bodies much better – that will prolong players’ careers. “Maybe (players will) not play as much every year but play longer and better quality as well. The care is there, the mental health, all of that is being addressed now much better than it was in my day.”

Williams' retirement, says Navratilova, would leave a vacuum in tennis because "the electricity she brought to the stadium was fantastic," but she believes the sport's future is in "excellent hands" with world No. 1 Iga Swiatek. At age 21, the Polish star appears likely to continue adding to her grand slam total, particularly on her preferred surface of clay. She won her third grand slam title—and second of the year—at the US Open in September.

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“We cannot replace a Roger Federer or a Serena Williams,” says Navratilova, “but we can bring in new faces that will make us feel better about ourselves and keep us entertained hopefully for decades to come.”