'Hands-On Mom' Serena Williams To Bradley Cooper: I Definitely Can Still Come Back

Bradley Cooper ('Hangover' and 'A Star is Born') flexed a new skill on Saturday as the actor-turned-director interviewed tennis legends Serena and Venus Williams for the A+E Networks and the History Channel's History Talks in Washington D.C., reports 'Variety'.

At the top of the conversation, he addressed Serena's recent announcement that she was retiring from tennis. She played her final match at the U.S. Open earlier this month in New York City.

"I just needed to stop," Serena said, recalling her headline-making move. "I always said I wanted to stop when I was playing really good tennis and winning and beating good players. For me, it's really about things I want to do spiritually and spending time with my daughter and family."

She continued: "As a super hands-on mom, I can't tell you how hard it was. I lost so many matches after I had Olympia' -- in 2017 -- "because it was so hard to be on the court. I feel like I've given so much of my life to tennis, my entire life, that it's time to do something different for me and also work on other things."

But fear not, tennis enthusiasts, notes 'Variety': There's a chance Serena will pick up a racquet again. She said she's given herself permission to return to the court. "I feel like if I want to come back, I definitely can still come back," she said.