Serena Williams says she will have to choose between a tennis career and another baby, and she's made her decision
Serena Williams has proved time and again that she is certainly a super mom. The tennis champion won her 23rd Grand Slam singles title at the Australian Open which took place in January 2017 while she was eight weeks pregnant and she welcomed her baby girl Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. last September. Williams revealed that this was one of the most badass things she has ever done.
According to InStyle, Serena revealed, "Oh, absolutely! I was two months pregnant. I was literally nine weeks by the end of the tournament. Every day that passed, I thought, 'This is a dream'. I had a really tough first round and an even tougher second round. I thought, 'I’m probably going to lose early. That’s OK. I have a good excuse for the first time," she said in reference to her cover story for the magazine's first ever 'Badass women' issue.
At the Indian Wells BNP Paribas Open, despite returning to the court and winning, the star did admit that she needs to find a balance between being a mother and her career. "I’m in the locker room pumping before a match because my boobs are so big. When I pump, they go down a size or two and I go out and play," Serena revealed.
The 36-year-old tennis star and new mother has been making her way back into competitive tennis in the months after the birth of her baby. After the one and a half hour match against Zarina Diyas of Kazakhstan, Williams told the Associated Press, "It was incredible. It’s been over a year and a kid later, and I get to go home to her now, and I’m excited about that. It definitely wasn’t easy. We always have a couple tight sets. It was good. I’m a little rusty, but it doesn’t matter. I’m just out here on this journey and doing the best I can."
However, being a mother is her no.1 priority and Williams says she makes sure to put her daughter first, "I sneak away to practice, usually around 8 am. The only rule I have at practice is to be done at 1 pm because, as much as I love tennis, I need to be with her. I want to put her above everything else I’m doing. Since she was born, I haven’t been apart from her for more than a day."
When asked about whether she wants a second baby with her husband Alexis Ohanian, Williams said that she may need to step away from tennis if she wants to have another child. "If I weren’t working, I’d already be pregnant. I don’t know if I want to play if I have another baby." Williams said.
Recently, Serena took to her Instagram to share a video of herself looking very excited about her return to tennis and showed off a gold-toned 'S' pin which she had designed for fans to support her and help raise money for the Yetunde Price Resource Center. The center helps people affected by gun violence deal with their trauma and move forward with their lives. The organization is named in honor of Serena's slain sister.
She captioned the video, "It’s official. My comeback is here." She also pointed out that her return falls on 'International Women's Day' and declared, "my comeback could not have come on a better day".
On the video post, she wrote, "This Thursday, I will start playing tennis again professionally for the first time since giving birth to my daughter. This whole month I am playing tournaments in California and Florida - both my home states. Thursday, the day I play my very first match, marks International Women's Day."
"My comeback could not have come on a better day and I decided I wanted to do something different let you all be apart of my long journey back (if you want of course!) So I created my Serena Gold toned "S" pin. When I am playing, you can wear it and show support not only from me but also for my charity which supports the Yetunde Price Resource center. I want this gold "S" mean something special to you personally. What is one "S" word in your life that means something to you? Mine is Strong and Sure! So when I wear my "S" pin, I am representing Strength and Sureness," she added.
"What would your "S" mean? They are for now only available for my fans that come see me at Indian Wells, and Miami starting Wednesday as well as Thursday when I play! So, if you are watching me, stop by the Serena booth to grab an "S" pin," she continued.
When Williams was supposed to return to the Australian Open this January (which she had won last year) she was unable to do so and withdrew from the competition in September 2017 itself after playing and losing her first post-pregnancy match. At the time, she told ESPN, "It’s good to be back on the court. This was such a good time for me. First matches back are always super-incredibly hard, especially after having a baby. It was great. I was glad I could do it here."
"After performing in my first match after giving birth, I realized that ,although I am super close, I’m not where I personally want to be. My coach and team always said 'Only go to tournaments when you are prepared to go all the way. 'With that being said, I am disappointed to say I’ve decided not to compete in The Australian Open this year,," Williams wrote on her Snapchat.
However, Williams seems to be back on track and ready to do what she does best, especially given her performance at the Indian Wells BNP Paribas Open in California this year.