Serena Williams announced her retirement last year in a beautiful essay in Vogue. She wrote about wanting to move on from her tennis career and being excited about what comes next, from trying to have a second child to expanding her venture-capital firm and tons more. Serena lost her last professional match at last year’s US Open, a tearful moment for all tennis fans. Since then, Serena has been busy, but it definitely feels like she’s taking her time and plotting out her next steps. So do we believe that Serena is shopping a memoir? Well, her friend Prince Harry did it, so maybe he’s advising Serena.
Serena Williams is on a roll off the court. The retired tennis great is shopping a memoir, sources exclusively tell Page Six, and offers could hit beyond $10 million.
A publishing insider says that the book world is buzzing that Williams is “selling a memoir via [power literary agent] Suzanne Gluck at WME” and speculates that there are “eight-figure deals on the table.”
A second source shares that a deal may have already closed — and that Williams’ team was initially looking at offers for multiple books. Reps for Williams and WME did not get back to us.
Williams previously published the 2009 tome “My Life: Queen of the Court” with a ghostwriter. Since that book came out, she’s hit numerous new professional highs, married tech mogul Alexis Ohanian, become a mother — and also battled health issues.
On Monday, Williams launched a multimedia production company, 926 Productions, which reportedly already has a first-look TV deal with Amazon Studios. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the company has numerous projects in development — including a soccer documentary, called “Copa ’71,” about the 1971 unofficial Women’s World Cup.
Yeah, Serena’s had a deal with Amazon for a few years? It’s a lot like the Sussexes’ deal with Netflix too, to produce content. As for the memoir… I would read it. I would be very interested in it, especially the tennis-gossip parts of it. Like, I definitely want a tell-all about Serena’s feelings on Maria Sharapova, Justine Henin, Angelique Kerber, Simona Halep and more. I want Serena’s side on all of her most famous “meltdowns” on court, especially the foot-fault calls in New York in 2009.
PS… In recent weeks, Serena has been posting all of these shots where she’s practicing and holding her Wilson racquet. This has led to a lot of Serena-stans to holler about how she needs to come back or that she’s planning to play Wimbledon. Look, if it happens, I would be so happy. But I think she’s over it.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
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- Serena Williams (USA) playing on centre court against Harmony Tan (FRA) in the womens first round at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships at the All England Club, London, United Kingdom,,Image: 703562509, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: World Rights, Model Release: no, Credit line: Peter van den Berg / Avalon
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- Serena Williams (USA) playing on centre court against Harmony Tan (FRA) in the womens first round at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships at the All England Club, London, United Kingdom,,Image: 703562556, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: World Rights, Model Release: no, Credit line: Peter van den Berg / Avalon
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- Serena Williams (USA),Image: 717561833, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Antoine Couvercelle / Panoramic / Panoramic / Avalon
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- Serena Williams (USA) defeated Anett Kontaveit,Image: 718226808, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Antoine Couvercelle / Panoramic / Panoramic / Avalon
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- Serena Williams (USA) defeated Anett Kontaveit,Image: 718226825, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Antoine Couvercelle / Panoramic / Panoramic / Avalon
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- PASADENA, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – FEBRUARY 25: American tennis player Serena Williams arrives at the 54th Annual NAACP Image Awards held at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium on February 25, 2023 in Pasadena, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 758779282, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Serena Williams, Credit line: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Avalon
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- PASADENA, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – FEBRUARY 25: American tennis player Serena Williams arrives at the 54th Annual NAACP Image Awards held at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium on February 25, 2023 in Pasadena, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 758779315, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Serena Williams, Credit line: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Avalon
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- Hollywood, CA – Celebrities hit the red carpet at the 94th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theater at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood. Pictured: Serena Williams BACKGRID USA 27 MARCH 2022 BYLINE MUST READ: Juan Rico / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- London, UNITED KINGDOM – Serena Williams attends the British Vogue And Tiffany & Co. Celebrate Fashion And Film Party 2023 at Annabel’s in London, England. Pictured: Serena Williams BACKGRID USA 19 FEBRUARY 2023 BYLINE MUST READ: Click News and Media / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
ooh I would read it. I actually don’t follow tennis beyond when Serena is playing in a slam (my husband and I were doing a lot of googling during the US open last year, LOL) and what Kaiser tweets about hahaha, but I think it would be a great read and something that would appeal to people like me (so not just for tennis fans.)
Kaiser’s Twitter tweets are about the extent of my tennis knowledge also😂. There’s someone who is an octopus. Another is an alligator maybe?
Daniil Medvedev is the octopus, because he has crazy long arms! Djokovic is the alligator (because he’s sponsored by Lacoste).
Interesting. It’s funny how their animals kind of suit them. Going by your tweets and the djkovich vaccine debacle, the djokvich alligator Lacoste brand makes me think sly like a crocodile whereas an octopus is kind of funny looking but also kind of cute and endearing.
I mean I think a lot of people are wanting to write a memoir after seeing how well Harry’s did. Like you know Fergie is already thinking about it. But In Serena’s case, she has the life to back it up. A memoir from her would be so welcome and I’d be so reading it.
This has nothing to do with Harry. Many celebrities have been on the memoir kick for the last couple of years.
You have entirely missed the point.
I’m with you, Jais, Serena has ALL of the reasons to write a memoir, and I will buy it.
Oh hell yes, a memoir by Serena would be FIRE! I would buy that in a heartbeat, especially if it’s as raw and honest as Andre Agassi was with his autobiography, “Open”.
That offer feels very low for one of the greatest athletes that ever lived.
Anyway if she wants to do this, she needs to do it soon after her retirement.