Serena Williams is bracing herself for retirement from tennis.

The 40-year-old tennis icon revealed that she has been mentally preparing to step away from the sport for more than ten years, taking cues from the wisdom imparted by her father Richard Williams, portrayed by Will Smith in the biopic “King Richard.”

“I am prepared for that day. I’ve been prepared for that day for over a decade,” she shared with Entertainment Tonight. “So, I’ve always – if you’ve seen King Richard – you know that my dad always said you got to prepare, so I’ve been prepared for that. You know, at the end of the day, I think it’s really important to always have a plan, and that’s kind of what I did. I always had a plan.”

Aside from her illustrious tennis career, Serena, who shares a four-year-old daughter named Olympia with husband Alexis Ohanian, is deeply engaged in various business ventures. However, she acknowledged that juggling her packed schedule can sometimes be overwhelming.

“It is a balancing act, and some days it’s harder than others,” she admitted. “It was definitely more tough because I’m still a mom and I’m still a wife, and I want to be able to spend time and I like to be good at things.”

Expressing her desire to expand her family, Serena emphasized the importance of finding balance. She noted, “I definitely want to have more kids. Balance is key, you know, and just trying to find that balance. I don’t know, it’s always like, OK, are we ready? And I know the clock is ticking, so I’m just like OK, I need to figure out when that’s going to be, but hopefully soon when I will feel no pressure.”