When Serena Williams announced Wednesday her plans to retire from tennis, we at Just Women’s Sports asked ourselves: What are the biggest moments from her 27-year career?

The answer: All of them.

…but we made our best attempt to choose a few anyway.

1999: Winning her first career Grand Slam at the US Open

Fun fact: The full US Open final between 17-year-old Williams and Martina Hingis is available on YouTube. So for those wanting to relive one of the first major moments of her career in the lead-up to what is likely her final US Open, you can do so here:

After breaking onto the scene in 1998, Williams broke through and won her first Grand Slam at the US Open in 1999. Then-world No. 1 and fellow teenager Hingis defeated sister Venus Williams in the semifinals, meaning that Serena’s first appearance in a major final would come against one of the game’s best. (Hingis was the first Swiss player, man or woman, to win a major title and reach No. 1 in the world – a spot she held for 209 weeks).

Williams defeated her in straight sets, 6-3, 7-6, in a surprise to many. While the idea that Williams would win majors wasn’t shocking, many didn’t think it would happen so soon.

“She was already being talked about as a future major winner, just nobody thought it was going to happen at 17 at that US Open,” Pam Shriver said.

2002: Besting Venus at the US Open

After winning the US Open in 1999, it took Williams three years to win another major. Then came 2002, when Serena and her sister put on a show across the major championships.

Serena won her first French Open and her first Wimbledon tournament, as well as her second US Open, and she defeated Venus in all three finals. She completed her first “Serena Slam” at the 2003 Australian Open, where she beat Venus once again in the final.

Serena ended the 2002 season at No. 1 in the world after her US Open win. In her career, she has held the No. 1 spot atop the world rankings for 319 weeks – good for third all time behind Martina Navratilova and Steffi Graf. Her last world No. 1 ranking came in 2017, marking 14 years, 10 months and six days in between her first and last No. 1 ranking – the longest of any women’s player.

2012: Completing the Golden Slam

London seems to be a special place for Williams – after all, Wimbledon is where she chose to make her return this summer after spending the past year out with an injury.

But while Wimbledon holds special weight, so do the 2012 London Olympics. At those Games, she bested Maria Sharapova in the final to win her third Olympic gold medal – her only singles gold medal. While she would win doubles in those same Olympics with sister Venus, the singles medal secured her the career singles Golden Slam – all four major titles plus an Olympic gold medal.

Williams is just the second women’s player in history after Graf to achieve the feat in singles. Andre Agassi and Rafael Nadal achieved on the men’s side. No player has joined the list since Williams finished her Golden Slam in 2012.

2017: Winning the Australian Open while pregnant

Echoing a theme that stretched throughout Venus and Serena’s careers, Serena’s last major title came in 2017 at the Australian Open – against sister Venus.

Serena didn’t drop a set all tournament, bringing her total of Grand Slam singles titles to 23. It was her seventh win in Melbourne – the most of any player – and made her the winningest player of the Open era.

A few months later, Serena revealed that she was pregnant with daughter Olympia. The news brought with it the knowledge that Williams had been around eight weeks pregnant when the Australian Open began.

2022: Stepping away to focus on building her family

Make no mistake, the greatest player to ever play the game of tennis has mixed emotions about retiring from the sport. She said as much in the Vogue article in which she announced her plans to retire.

In a sports world that has often been dominated by men, Serena Williams has broken the mold. There is no dispute about who she is or the legacy she leaves behind. Serena Williams has changed the game of tennis. More than that, she has changed the game for women, period.

The unfairness of having to choose between growing her family and continuing her tennis career is not lost on Williams. “If I were a guy, I wouldn’t be writing this because I’d be out there playing and winning while my wife was doing the physical labor of expanding our family,” she told Vogue.

Still, there’s also something incredibly empowering about Williams, 41, making the decision to step away and doing so on her own terms.

“I don’t particularly like to think about my legacy,” Williams told Vogue. “I get asked about it a lot, and I never know exactly what to say.

“But I’d like to think that thanks to opportunities afforded to me, women athletes feel that they can be themselves on the court. They can play with aggression and pump their fists. They can be strong yet beautiful. They can wear what they want and say what they want and kick butt and be proud of it all.”

Despite some mock drafts projecting her to go as high as the first pick in the second round of the 2025 WNBA Draft, TCU’s Sedona Prince did not earn an invite to the pro league on Monday night.

The move came after the 6-foot-7 center helped lead the Horned Frogs to the 2024/25 NCAA tournament's Elite Eight round.

Prince, who turns 25 years old next month, suited up for Texas, Oregon, and TCU during her seven-year NCAA career. Her run spanned multiple injury-induced redshirt seasons caused by a broken leg, torn elbow ligament, and a broken finger.

During Monday's ESPN broadcast, commentators noted that her age and injury record may have impacted Prince's WNBA prospects. They also directly brought up Prince's history of intimate partner violence and abuse allegations.

As reported both via social media and by The Washington Post, several women have accused Prince of abuse or sexual assault. Prince denies these claims and, to date, has never been charged with a crime.

Prince's complicated collegiate campaign also includes a viral 2021 social media post calling out gender inequities within the NCAA tournament. The post ultimately ignited top-line changes across college sports.

WNBA GMs weigh risk factors in drafting Prince

Like other undrafted athletes, Prince could still receive an invite to any of the 13 teams' training camps. Though the decision to offer her a preseason try-out remains complicated for WNBA front offices.

"You want to be fair about it and don't want to necessarily hold [the allegations] against her," one unnamed WNBA GM told ESPN’s Katie Barnes in a recent article detailing Prince’s draft prospects. "But from an organizational standpoint, you also have to be cautious and do your due diligence."

"We wouldn't touch it, but I think that everybody's at a different spot. Everybody has different information," another GM said. "But where we're at with this franchise, right, wrong, or indifferent, there's a risk associated and that's not a risk on someone's character that we'd take."

The Dallas Wings made arguably the easiest decision of the 2025 WNBA Draft on Monday night, selecting UConn guard Paige Bueckers as the overall No. 1 pick.

"I can't wait to play with that system, to play with that team, to embrace that new city," Bueckers told reporters. "To be in a place that you're loved and wanted, that's very important."

"Very early on it was Paige, and Paige only. She's such a special player," said newly hired Dallas GM Curt Miller.

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Bueckers bolsters revamped Dallas team

Bueckers has been the consensus No. 1 draftee since the start of the 2024/25 NCAA season. Top pick-holder Dallas subsequently spent the offseason assembling existing WNBA talent to complement their expected collegiate recruit.

Returning starters include Arike Ogunbowale and Teaira McCowan. Additionally, Miller brought on experienced players NaLyssa Smith, DiJonai Carrington, and Ty Harris.

"There's a new GM, new coach, new assistant coach, a whole new team," Bueckers said. "We're excited for that fresh start."

The 11th-place Wings ended last season on a nine-game losing streak. And with a 9-31 record, Dallas missed the 2024 WNBA Playoffs. The team now aims to right the ship in 2025 behind their new-look lineup and freshly minted franchise player Bueckers.

"She can take over a game when she wants to, but she has a great feel for getting others involved and that’s really special," said incoming Wings head coach Chris Koclanes.

"You put that next to Arike, and I feel together they'll be able to play off each other."

With a fully revamped roster and an upgraded arena and practice facility in the works, the Dallas Wings appear to be bypassing the traditionally slow rebuild and will instead hit the ground running in 2025.

After UConn superstar Paige Bueckers set the tone as the overall No. 1 pick, the rest of Monday night’s 2025 WNBA Draft played out without too many surprises, as teams stocked up on fresh talent from both home and abroad.

The Seattle Storm selected French phenom Dominique Malonga second, before the Washington Mystics took Notre Dame guard Sonia Citron at No. 3 and USC forward Kiki Iriafen at No. 4.

Incoming expansion team Golden State threw the night’s initial curveball with their first-ever draft pick, adding Lithuanian forward Justé Jocyté to the Valkyries' inaugural roster at No. 5.

However, Jocyté's availability remains a question mark, with the 19-year-old confirming her intent to join her national team for this summer's EuroBasket.

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Young stars earn first round selections at the 2025 WNBA Draft

The rest of Monday's first round showcased NCAA and international standouts alike, with teams prioritizing both skills, potential, and team fit as they strategized and vied to load their draft boards with top talent.

The exception to the original first-round lineup was Las Vegas, whose No. 10 pick was rescinded after a 2023 investigation found the Aces guilty of violating league policies.

• No. 6: Georgia Amoore (Kentucky) to the Washington Mystics
• No. 7: Aneesah Morrow (LSU) to the Connecticut Sun
• No. 8: Saniyah Rivers (NC State) to the Connecticut Sun
• No. 9: Sarah Ashlee Barker (Alabama) to the LA Sparks
• No. 10: Ajša Sivka (Slovenia) to the Chicago Sky
• No. 11: Hailey Van Lith (TCU) to the Chicago Sky
• No. 12: Aziaha James (NC State) to the Dallas Wings

With the 2025 WNBA season starting in just one month, the new draftees will soon be joining their pro teams in training camp, where final roster decisions will be made as franchises make difficult cuts en route to May 16th's opening tip-off.

"The WNBA is so unique with how powerful the talent is because it is so small," said Van Lith, who's set to link up with her former LSU teammate Angel Reese at the Chicago Sky this year. "It's a competition that I'm ready to embrace, that I'm excited to embrace."

Teen phenom Dominique Malonga officially introduced herself to US basketball fans during Monday's 2025 WNBA Draft, with the 19-year-old becoming the highest drafted French player in league history as the overall No. 2 pick by the Seattle Storm.

"I'm so proud just to show that today French basketball is at a level that we have never seen," she told reporters after her record-setting selection.

"She's a unicorn. She's one of one," Seattle head coach Noelle Quinn said of the 6-foot-6 teenager. "The thing that is very intriguing about her is the way that she's grown rapidly over the last few years.... She's 100% an amazing athlete."

Malonga's rapid rise to the WNBA

After turning pro at just 15 years old in 2021, Malonga's first international spotlight came during the 2024 Paris Olympics, when the then-18-year-old debuted as the youngest player on France’s silver medal-winning national team.

A nimble, athletic player with skilled shooting and marked versatility, Malonga went on to make waves last October as the first-ever Frenchwoman to dunk in a game.

"I would say that international FIBA basketball prepared me [on] toughness because it was always high-level games," Malonga added. "I think that it really helped me to be ready for the league."

Though not yet a household name in the US, Seattle is keeping an eye on the future by drafting a player whose generational talent could potentially set the bar in the WNBA.