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.”

Cameron Brink already has her rookie of the year pick for the upcoming WNBA season, and it’s Indiana-bound star Caitlin Clark. 

In the latest edition of Kelley on the Street, host Kelley O'Hara caught up with Brink in New York hours before the Stanford phenom went No. 2 overall to the Los Angeles Sparks at the 2024 WNBA Draft. When O’Hara asked who would win the WNBA's rookie of the year, she answered without pause.

"Caitlin Clark," she said, while a fan commented that she thought Brink would take home the award. Brink later added that the extra foul granted to WNBA players will be "good for me."

"I hope it’s me," Charisma Osborne, who was later drafted by the Phoenix Mercury, said when asked her ROY prediction. "But, I don’t know — we’ll see."

Watch more of Kelley on the Street:

Maria Sanchez issued a statement on Thursday, confirming recent reports that she has requested a trade from the Houston Dash. 

In it, she revealed that the club has been aware of the request "since late March."

"This has all taken a toll and isn’t an easy thing to talk about, but I want to confirm that I’ve requested an immediate trade," she wrote. "My expectations and reasons have been clear. I trust that my current club’s management will honor my decision in a timely manner and proceed with accepting a trade."

"I’m eager to refocus and dive back into what I love most: playing football," she concluded.

Thank you, everyone, for the outpouring of kindness and support. pic.twitter.com/gcnN7dhCJU

— Maria Sanchez (@Maria17_7) April 19, 2024

Reports of Sanchez's trade request first surfaced on ESPN last week, and were later confirmed by multiple sources. 

In December of last year, Sanchez signed a three-year contract with the Dash valued at $1.5 million including bonuses and an option year. It was the largest contract in NWSL history at the time — a figure that would be eclipsed by multiple contracts in the following months. 

Sanchez spent the offseason as a restricted free agent, meaning that Houston could match any other team's offer to retain her rights. Should the Dash trade Sanchez, her current contract terms would remain intact, limiting potential buyers to teams able to afford to take on an inking of that size.

The Dash has yet to address the trade, instead reiterating to ESPN that Sanchez is "under contract, a choice she made in free agency at the end of 2023." 

Both the NWSL trade window and transfer window close tonight, April 19th, at 12 a.m. ET. The window will stay closed through the next 11 regular season games, reopening on August 1st, 2024.

The four-time league champion Seattle Storm unveiled their new practice facility on Thursday, with Storm co-owner Lisa Brummel dubbing Interbay's Seattle Storm Center for Basketball Performance the team’s "new home."

"It's just such a special space," Brummel told Fox 13 Seattle. "I think when the players get here, it's gonna be overwhelming."

The sprawling 50,000-square-foot, $64 million property is just the second designated practice facility to be designed and built expressly for a WNBA team, with the Storm further noting that 85% of all design and engineering team members involved in the project's construction were women and people of color. The finished product holds two professional indoor courts, two 3x3 outdoor courts, a state-of-the-art locker room, and players' lounge, plus designated areas for strength and conditioning, kitchen, dining, and nutrition, and recovery. 

"This facility reflects our commitment to providing our athletes an exceptional environment that supports their growth, health, and performance," said Storm co-owner Ginny Gilder in an official team release. "It’s built for women, by women, embodying our dedication to leading the way in professional women’s sports."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

For their part, the team can't wait to make the faciilty their own.

"It's amazing," Storm guard Jewell Loyd told Fox 13. "Not having to drive everywhere around, knowing you have access anytime of the day to get into the gym, to workout." 

Head coach Noelle Quinn said she predicts the team is "never going to leave this building."

"Which is a good thing for me," she continued. "You talk about having an edge in performance. We want our athletes to not only perform on the court, but get whatever they need."

All of the Storm's staff and operations will now live under one roof, and the team also has plans to launch a youth basketball program operating out of the building.

The Caitlin Clark effect is quickly making its mark on the big leagues, as WNBA host teams around the country rush to upgrade their Fever games to larger arenas in order to accommodate surging ticket sales.

With Clark mere weeks away from her Indiana Fever debut, both the Las Vegas Aces and Washington Mystics have officially relocated their scheduled home games with head coach Christie Sides' squad. On Thursday, the Mystics became the latest to adjust their plans, moving their June 7th matchup from Entertainment & Sports Arena in Southwest DC to the more centrally located — and much larger — Capital One Arena "due to unprecedented demand."

The Mystics home court's capacity taps out at 4,200, while Capital One Arena — home to the Wizards, Capitals, and Georgetown Hoya's Men's Basketball — can fit nearly five times that crowd at some 20,000 spectators.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Washington Mystics (@washmystics)

"The move to Capital One Arena will allow for additional fans in the stands as well as premium hospitality options, including Suites and the all-new all-inclusive courtside Hennessy Lofts," the team announced via Thursday's press release.

The Aces were one of the first teams to switch venues, aiming to take on the Indiana Fever in front of as many as 20,000 fans inside T-Mobile Arena on July 2nd. That’s a sizable a boost from their home venue, which holds just 12,000.

For those still planning to face the Fever in their home arenas, ticket prices have skyrocketed. Previously scheduled construction has already forced the LA Sparks to relocate their first five games — including their May 24th clash with the Fever — to Long Beach State's Walter Pyramid. The temporary venue is quite the downsize, holding just 4,000 in comparison to Crypto.com Arena's near-19,000. As of Friday, the get-in price for that game started around $400.

Despite fans launching a Change.org petition urging relocation, the Chicago Sky say they're unable to move their June 23rd Fever meeting from Wintrust Arena's 10,000-seat facility to the 23,500-seat United Center due to a concert. Tickets for that game start around $325 as of Friday.