Aug 9, 2022 2 min read

In tennis

Saying “the countdown has begun,” 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams announced Tuesday she is ready to step away from tennis so she can turn her focus to having another child and her business interests, presaging the end of a career that transcended sports.

In an essay released Tuesday by Vogue magazine, and a post on Instagram – the sorts of direct-to-fans communication favored these days by celebrities, a category she most definitely fits – Williams was not completely clear on the timeline for her last match, but she made it sound as if that could be at the U.S. Open, which begins Aug. 29 in New York.

• Naomi Osaka’s recent struggles continued with an early exit at the National Bank Open in Toronto.

The four-time Grand Slam champion retired from her first-round match with a back injury. She was trailing 7-6 (4), 3-0 against Estonia’s Kaia Kanepi when she withdrew from the contest.

In auto racing

The strange motorsports silly season has knocked IndyCar driver Felix Rosenqvist into limbo, with the Swede now desperately trying to hold onto his current seat and avoid being shipped to McLaren Racing’s new Formula E team.

McLaren and Rosenqvist said in June they’d agreed to a deal in which Rosenqvist would either return in 2023 to IndyCar or be the key piece when it launches its FE team next season. But as Rosenqvist’s performance has improved, his desire to remain in IndyCar has clouded his future.

He’s now snagged in the fight between Chip Ganassi Racing and IndyCar champion Alex Palou, who wants to leave Ganassi to move to the McLaren family next season. Ganassi is suing to stop the move.

Should Palou become available, Rosenqvist would be squeezed out of Arrow McLaren SP’s three-car IndyCar lineup.

Palou would join Pato O’Ward and Alexander Rossi in IndyCar, and likely be a reserve driver for the Formula One team.