Serena Williams says she's loving this chapter of her tennis career because 'I'm playing just for me'

• Serena Williams is one of the most dominant athletes of her generation.
• While she's not winning grand slams the way she did years ago, at 40, Williams says she's enjoying her career as much as she ever has.

Serena Williams has accomplished a lot on the tennis court.

Through almost three decades as a professional, Williams has won nearly every event there is to win — 23 grand slam singles titles, 14 grand slam doubles titles alongside her sister Venus, an Olympic gold medal, and countless other events and tournaments scattered between.

Williams is one of the most dominant athletes in the history of sport, and even though her run of play over the past few years has not resulted in the grand slam wins she's come accustomed to, Williams says she's enjoying her time on the court in a new way now.

"This chapter makes me happy because for so many years I've played, and I've loved doing it, but now I'm playing just for me," Williams told Insider, as a part of our first cover story. "I compete when and where I want to go, but I don't have to go. So I'm enjoying it in a different way."

Indeed, rather than take on the grueling, nearly year-long schedule of the professional tennis tour, Williams, 40, now picks her spots. In the meantime, she's built herself into a multi-hyphenate that can compete with the best of them: entrepreneur, movie producer, fashion icon, mother, and yes, one of the best tennis players alive.

But even with her limited tennis schedule, Williams still is contending with the best players in the world. While she hasn't won a grand slam since the 2017 Australian Open, Williams has reached four grand slam finals in the years since, twice each at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. She also reached the semifinals of the 2021 Australian Open, where she lost to eventual champion Naomi Osaka.

As things stand, Williams has 23 grand slam singles titles to her name, trailing only Margaret Court, who won 24 in her playing career. Williams recently teased her return to action at Wimbledon, meaning she may soon have a shot at tying Court's mark in London this summer.

Click here to read the full cover story.