How Serena Williams’ former coach brought Simona Halep back from the brink of tennis retirement
Daphne Wegner and her husband, Bill Wegner, celebrate their daughter Emily’s 6th birthday in September 2015. The Wegners celebrated Emily’s birthday with an elaborate party in their home in Brooklyn.
This story contains spoilers for Love Happens: The Serena Williams Story.
Serena Williams, a top tennis player who won the Wimbledon 2016 title, has always seemed to have the sort of easygoing, non-competitive spirit that was on display when she was in her 20s.
After her most recent tennis triumph, in November 2015, a then 20-year-old Williams — who had been playing for years — announced that she planned to retire within a year.
A month ago, Williams announced her retirement again, but this time, instead of retiring from tennis, she announced she would no longer be competing at all. She now had a new reality on her hands: the choice to play golf during the off-season. Her new teammate, Naomi Osaka, had been the first woman in the sport to do so since Steffi Graf in 1979.
Now, it would be Williams’ turn.
This, after more than 12 months of hard work, sacrifice and anguish. Of tears. Of doubt. Of joy. Of anxiety. Of anger. Of happiness. And all of that in a place that she called “The House That Serena Built.”
A place that she felt was her own home, where she felt safe without having to worry about the world around her.
This is a story of how, all on her own, Serena Williams found her way back from the brink of tennis retirement — and how she did it all the same way she used to.
You can read the whole story after Monday’s episode of Love Happens.
The story of Serena Williams’ comeback
The Williams family was in the living room, watching a video of her playing tennis when her manager, John McEnroe, came in from the family’s living room. “This is great,” McEnroe said at the time. “You’re making